volume 06 _ issue 01 2012

7/24/2019 Volume 06 _ Issue 01 2012

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE

www.efmd.org Volume 06 | Issue 01 2012

EFMD continues its mission to promote excellence in businessand management education with a global mentoring programme

7/24/2019 Volume 06 _ Issue 01 2012


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1EFMD Global Focus | Volume 06 | Issue 01 2012

Volume 06 | Issue 01 2012

In focus

Mahatma Ghandi said: "A nation's greatness is measured by how it treats itsweakest members" and in Chris Greensted’s lead article in this issue of GlobalFocus, we learn about an important initiative launched by EFMD – the DeansAcross Frontiers programme which encourages the best-developed businessschools to mentor colleagues in less-developed schools.

Continuing the theme of responsibility (page 22) Alfons Sauquet, Dean ofESADE in Barcelona points to both obligations and opportunities for businessschools arising from their role in society.

Designing and delivering effective Executive Education always providesa challenging moving target, and the EFMD CLIP programme is designedto help organisations address their learning needs in a structured way.Andrew Rutsch describes how learning and development supportedcorporate transformation at Siemens (page 42), and Gert-Jan van Wijkand Jamie Anderson point to a different, emerging model for businessschools to address executive education needs (page 12).

Managing, leading and changing a large corporation is a major undertaking,and doing the same within a business school is equally challenging. GeorgeYip offers an inside story of change at RSM Erasmus (page 46) with a fewsurprising revelations! And in managing organisational change, Ulrich

Hommel, Roger King and Anna Pastwa remind us not to forget about propergovernance, and a considered view of risk management (page 25).

Howard Thomas of Singapore Management University, and one of only ahandful of EFMD Honorary Life Members, always offers insightful and incisiveopinion, and he explores the distinctive characteristics of European businesseducation (page 17).

It’s almost a cliché to say that the pace of change has never been so fast – butit doesn’t make it less true. And changes in publishing and educationaltechnologies are likely to turn the worlds of educational provision and scholarlypublishing on their heads in the coming years. John Peters of GSE Researchdiscusses some ‘Unlikely Heroes’ of the publishing revolution (page 30), and

Lin Squires and Elmar Husmann of ELIG remind us to ignore Open Educationat our peril (page 54).

Two articles look at the theme of integration, from very different perspectives.Baback Yazdani (page 34), Dean of Nottingham Business School, considersan integrationist position between a pure research focus and a predominantlyteaching one. Stephanie Hussels of Cranfield discusses case writing as a wayto integrate teaching and research (page 50).

Robert S Rubin, Eric C Dierdorff and Fredrick P Morgeson's article (page 38)takes on some of the business school community’s obsession with mediarankings, and finally, Bentley University’s William M. Gribbons claims thatunderstanding and learning about the human-technology interface is anissue for all managers, and belongs in the business school rather than

schools of engineering or psychology.

We are always pleased to hear

your thoughts on Global Focus,

and ideas on what you would

like to see in future issues.

Please address comments and

ideas to Matthew Wood at EFMD:

[email protected]

7/24/2019 Volume 06 _ Issue 01 2012


2 www.efmd.org/gl obalfocu s

Global Focus

The EFMD Business Magazine

Executive Editor

Matthew [email protected]

Advisory Board

Eric Cornuel Jim Herb oli ch

Howard Thomas John Peters

Consultant Editor

George Bickerstaffe bicke rsta ffe@b tinte rnet. com

Contributing Editors

Jamie A nderso n, Eri c C D ierdor ff,Chris Greenstead, Ulrich Hommel,

Elmer Husmann, Stephanie Hussels,Roger King, Fredrick P Morgeson, Anna

Pastwa, John Peters, Robert S Rubin,

Andrew Ru tsch, Alfons Sauqu et, LinSquires, Howard Thomas, Gert-Jan van

Wijk, B aback Yazdani, Ge orge Yip

Design & Art Direction

Jeben s D esig n

www.jebe nsde sign .co.u k

Photographs & Illustrations© Jeben s D esig n Lt d / EFMD

unless otherwise stated

Editorial & Advertising

Matthew Wood

[email protected]: +32 2 629 0810

EFMD aisblRue Gachard 88 – Box 3

1050 Brussels, Belgium

www.efmd.o rg/g lob alfo cus

©EFMD

Volume 06 | Issue 01 2012

Contents

1 In Focus

4 Talking ShopEFMD celebrates its 40th birthdayTomorrow's MBAMathias Falkenstein joins EFMDEQUIS accreditation for three new business schools

6 International Deans’ Programme

8 Deans across frontiersAs EFMD launches its Deans Across Frontiers initiative, Professor ChrisGreensted looks at its mission of promoting excellence in business andmanagement education worldwide

12 Customised Executive Learning – A Business Modelfor the 21st Century A new design for tailored executive education is emerging –Gert-Jan van Wijk and Jamie Anderson report on the Platform Model

17 What is the European Management School Model?Over the last ten to fifteen years the identity, importance and legitimacyof European management schools has been strongly established in thecontext of the ‘business of business schools’, writes Howard Thomas

22 Business Schools and Society – Opportunities and Accountability Business schools can create new opportunities, says Alfons Sauquet,if they continue to take stock of their role in society

26 Risky Business? Do you know what your risk exposures are?Institutional and regulatory perspectives from Ulrich Hommel, Roger King,and Anna Pastwa, who open the debate on risk management in the businessschool community

30 Unlikely HeroesA 21st century publishing revolution? John Peters looks at the post-publicationenvironment and its unlikely heroes

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3EFMD Global Focus | Volume 06 | Issue 01 2012Contents

12

50

30

34 Defining the role of business schoolsBaback Yazdani, Dean of Nottingham Business School, looks at howbusiness schools across the globe might define their role

38 From Rankings to RatingsRobert S Rubin, Eric C Dierdorff and Fredrick P Morgeson look at thesignificant changes to MBA programme quality, due in part to media ranking

42 Busting Boundaries to Accelerate Business TransformationA recent EFMD CLIP workshop shedded light on Siemens’ transformationfrom troubled company to role model. Andrew Rutsch explains howCorporate Learning played a key role in this strategic renewal

46 Using “action strategy” to transform a business schoolGeorge Yip reports on his programme of action strategies to transformRotterdam School of Management

50 Case by Case

Stephanie Hussels describes how Cranfield uses case study writing asa means of integrating research, teaching, and practice on the MBA course

54 Closing the gapLin Squires and Elmar Husmann show the significant gap between theperception and reality of Open Education

56 The Human Factor: the emerging user experience disciplineWilliam M. Gribbons explains why, increasingly, leading organisationsdemand a balance of the user perspective with the traditional focus ontechnology, and how business schools can fulfil this need

Lin Squires and Elmar Husmann show thesignificant gap between the perception andreality of Open Education page 54

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News and events in brief from the business world

Talking shop

EFMD celebrates its 40th Anniversary – a very Happy Birthday!EFMD was formed after the merger of the European Association of Management TrainingCentres (EAMTC) and International University Contact (IUC) and to commemorate thislandmark achievement, EFMD plans to celebrate the success of reaching 40 years overthe course of the next year at EFMD events across the international community. Fromthe very outset, EFMD's mission was "to act as a catalyst to promote and enhanceexcellence in management development in Europe and worldwide" and with the support

of many leading business schools and companies EFMD has, through good times andbad, stayed true to this mission and had a profound impact on our community.

Long before the days of email, Twitter, Facebook and even fax machines, EFMD wasable to bring people together to share, explore, exchange and debate on issues facingbusiness and management education. Over the past 40 years EFMD and its membershiphave hosted over 1000 meetings and conferences, conducted over 400 peer reviewvisits, published hundreds of papers and articles and brought together over 100,000professionals from across 80 countries and the community that supports EFMD hasgrown into a worldwide body that EFMD is very proud to serve and be associated with.

On behalf of Eric Cornuel, the Director General & CEO of EFMD and the current EFMDBoard, we would like to warmly thank each and every person who has been associated

with EFMD over the past 40 years (members, schools, companies, staff, boards) and whohas helped to make the network a truly world-class community. EFMD and our globalnetwork have faced many challenges over the past 40 years and is currently facingprobably the most serious so far. However the network remains strong and committedand with its growing support, EFMD will continue to lead and advance managementeducation and development around the globe.

Mathias Falkenstein joins EFMD as theDirector of BusinessSchools Services

Mathias Falkenstein, theformer Director ofInternational Relations at theIESEG School of ManagementParis – Lille, has joined EFMDas the Director of BusinessSchool Services.

With 15 years experience ofhigher education, Mathiashas gained a deep knowledgeand appreciation ofinternational businesseducation and the uniqueneeds of business schoolsaround the world today.He has developed a strongnetwork in the BusinessSchool's world and he equally

enjoys the high-level strategicplanning as well as theday-to-day operations.Mathias has always beenworking in an internationalcontext, in Asia, NorthAmerica and Europe, wherehe learned the importanceof sensitive communicationskills that acknowledge majorcross-cultural differences.

Mathias can be contacted at:

[email protected]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY EFMD AND CONGRATULATIONS ON A SPLENDID 40 YEARS!

1kOver the last

40 years EFMDhas hopsted over

1,000 meetings...

400... conducted

more than400 peer-to

-peer reviews

100k... brought

togetherover 100,00

professionals

80...from across

80 countries!

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5EFMD Global Focus | Volume 06 | Issue 01 2012Talking shop

Accreditation from EFMD is one of the best and most completeways to certify the actual quality of a business schoolProfessor Julio Urgel, EFMD Director of Quality Service

Crisis postponed?The collapse of LehmanBrothers and the associatedfinancial crisis produced a welter of negative stories aboutMBAs. Business schools held their breath and waited forthe recruitment impact, but it never came. As with othereconomic downturns, admission numbers grew but, manyschools are now reporting a tight recruitment market for 2012.

Against this background CarringtonCrisp, with support fromEFMD, carried out their third annual study, Tomorrow’s MBA,looking at the views of prospective students.

Both part-time and distance learning programmes continueto grow in popularity. Only in North America did a majority ofstudents still seek a two-year programme. Just under 30%of students are prepared to consider a specialist Masters asan alternative to an MBA.

When considering the MBA experience students areincreasingly looking at skills over money. Better careeroutcomes will make students consider paying more than

they anticipated for an MBA, but skill development hasbecome more important than earnings on graduationas students seek an advantage in a tight jobs market.

Despite the importance of career, academic strength remainsa key selection criteria. However, value for money is alsosignificant, with students assessing not just on fees, but alsoon outcomes. When considering outcomes a feature oftensought by students is a dedicated career service for MBAs.

Ethics remains in the bottom five of 30 subjects consideredvaluable by students. One student commented ‘There are no

jobs for ethicists, but plenty for responsible managers’ – theclear message being, don’t teach ethics as a stand alone

subject, but embed it throughout the curriculum.

The web remains the dominant media used by prospectivestudents when considering schools and their offers, withLinkedIn usage sharply up on a year ago. However, still keyto the impression that prospective students have of the MBAand of business schools are the people they meet be thatfaculty, staff, students or alumni.

An Executive Summary of the latest Tomorrow’s MBAhas just been published and can be downloaded from theEFMD website. The next round of the study takes place inOctober 2012.

www.efmd.org

EFMD awards EQUISaccreditition to threenew schoolsEFMD would like to warmly congratulate the:

Victoria University of Wellington, Faculty of Commerce& Administration

Singapore Management University, Lee Kong Chian

School of BusinessUniversity of Sheffield, Management School

who have just been awarded EQUIS accreditation. This takesthe number of accredited schools to 133 across 38 countries.

Prof. Julio Urgel, the EFMD Director of Quality Service said,"We are delighted to welcome three more leading internationalschools into the EQUIS community. Accreditation from EFMDis one of the best and most complete ways to certify the actualquality of a business school and the new schools should becommended for their commitment to excellence."

Professor Howard Thomas, Dean of the Singapore

Management University Lee Kong Chian School ofBusiness comments “It takes a great deal of determinationand self-assessment to achieve accreditation, which, in itself,is a rigorous process of evaluation and review. To be one ofthe few schools in Asia to attain a five-year accreditationdemonstrates the EFMD’s strong confidence in the holisticnature and high quality of our undergraduate and post-graduate programmes.”

“The School is absolutely delighted to have been awardedEQUIS accreditation”, says Professor Bob Buckle, ProVice-Chancellor and Dean of the Business School, VictoriaUniversity of Wellington. “This recognises the quality and

relevance of our programmes and our commitment tocontinuous improvement”.

"I am delighted that the Management School at theUniversity of Sheffield has been awarded EQUISaccreditation. This is a significant achievement for theSchool, and recognition of the hard work and dedicationof my colleagues to meet the international benchmarkof excellence that the award represents," said Dr. KeithGlaister, Dean of the University of Sheffield ManagementSchool.

More information on EQUIS is available at :

www.efmd.org/equis

EFMD

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International Deans’

Programme 2012>Gain unique insights intothe multiple roles of deansof business and managementschools

>Engage in debates about realtime complex issues – incomestreams and funding models,governance, the studentand alumni experience,reputation/branding,

faculty development,internationalisation,

globalisation, technology,markets, positioning

> Visit a diverse range of business and management

schools, take time outto network with yourcounterparts, re-energiseand reflect on strategiesfor your own school

Format:

Round table debates, learning sets, interactive activitiesco-designed with the participants and host institutions.

27-28 MarchUniversité Paris-Dauphine;IESEG School of Management Lille-Paris

6-8 JuneMcGill University, Desautels Faculty of Management; HECMontréal; Concordia University, The John Molson School ofBusiness; Université du Québec à Montréal, ESG. In collaboration with the Canadian Federation of Business School Deans

10-11 SeptemberBI Norwegian Business School, Oslo

>27-28 March

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“I found the IDP providesboth an engaging networkof fellow deans from aroundthe globe as well as a greatopportunity to expand my

personal experiences andcontacts in radically different

global communities.” Prof. Chris Earley, Dean,Purdue University’s Krannert School of Management,formerly Dean of the University of Connecticut Schoolof Business and Dean of the National University ofSingapore Business School, Chair of OrganizationalBehavior at London Business School and Randall L.Tobias Chair of Global Leadership at IndianaUniversity’s Kelley School of Business.

Fees:

Early bird fee until 10 February 2012 of€4250 for members of EFMD and/or ABS

and €4750 for non members.

Normal fee of €4500 for members of EFMDand/or ABS and €5000 for non members.

Contact:

[email protected] or [email protected]

Registration:

www.efmd.org/business-schools/idp

60Previous participants

include 60 deans from:

Belgium, Brazil, Canada,Chile, Denmark,

Estonia, Finland, France,

Germany, Ireland, Latvia,

Lebanon, Lithuania,

New Zealand, Portugal,

South Africa, Spain,

Switzerland, The

Netherlands, Turkey,

UK, Ukraine, USA

>6–8 June

>10–11 September

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As EFMD launches its Deans Across Frontiers initiative,Professor Chris Greensted looks at its mission of promotingexcellence in business and management education worldwide

13kThere are an estimated 13,000

business schools worldwide.

Around 1,000 have gained some

form of international accreditation

Adding value through partnership

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EFMD’s social responsibility

EFMD has a mission to “promoteexcellence in business andmanagement education worldwide”.This is partly fulfilled by its existingaccreditation systems which areaimed at the top 10% of schools,about 130 in EQUIS and 50 in EPASto date. While these systems havebeen very successful, EFMD alsohas a social responsibility to supportall levels of schools, whether theyare members of EFMD or not, but

especially those that are constrainedby resources. The launch of theDeans Across Frontiers (DAF)initiative is the response to this need.

There are an estimated 13,000business schools worldwide. Thisstaggering number encompassesa huge variety of structures, goals,resources, markets, andprogrammes. They will also be atdifferent levels of development andquality. Around 1,000 schools have

gained some form of internationalaccreditation (EQUIS, AACSB orAMBA) and thus have achievedmarket recognition for a certain levelof quality. Even so, internationalaccreditations can signify differentquality levels. (See the weightingsystem used by the Frenchnewspaper L’Express/L’Etudiant inits ranking calculations publishedDecember 2011, www.letudiant.fr/palmares/classement-esc.html).

Accreditation is not only about

providing market information tohelp future students, employers andcorporate clients to choose a school.Arguably more importantly, theseaccreditation systems are moreconcerned with fostering qualityimprovement through a processof international benchmarking andoffering peer advice on areas forimprovement. Therefore this meansthat only 1,000 schools are in astructured international process for

improvement out of the 13,000. Howcan EFMD help the others to developfurther?

The perceived need

Economic development dependson having an educated and trainedworkforce, including managementcapable of giving leadership anddirection. University level businessschools play an essential role indeveloping that management cadre.The quality of business schools

therefore impacts directly on thequality of management and hence onthe speed of economic development.

However many business schools inboth developed and developingcountries have a mainly local focus,and can lack resources, access to agood quality pool of students andfaculty, and sometimes have tooperate within a heavy regulatoryenvironment. There is often a lack ofclarity as to what constitutes a goodor excellent business school. In suchcircumstances, external guidance oradvice of a strategic nature would bebeneficial not only to the businessschool but also to the parentinstitution or university.

Meeting the need

EFMD recognises this gap and, as anetwork of business schools, it hasthe ability to fill it through harnessingan invaluable pool of expertise andexperience to help developing schoolsrealise their potential. Thetremendous asset of its associatednetwork of deans, associate deansand other senior managers (currentlyor recently in post, including thoserecently retired) offers the backboneof a mentoring system to non-

accredited schools.

Deans Across Frontiers (DAF) hasbeen developed as the third andnewest service offered by the EFMDQuality Services Department thatcomplements EQUIS and EPAS.DAF aims to support and to assistBusiness Schools to develop furtherthrough mentoring of the institution’sSenior Management Team. The DAFsystem is open to any school in bothdeveloping/emerging and developed

economies.

The DAF Process

As with the EFMD accreditationsystems, the school will undergo aSelf-Assessment and Peer ReviewProcess to evaluate its currentposition against a set of universalcriteria. The assessment by the PeerReview Team then acts as the baseline for future development. Theschool will benefit from mentoringby an experienced former Dean fora three-year period and will progresstowards defined developmentobjectives. EFMD will assure theeffectiveness of the process throughsystematic progress tracking. Moredetail on the process is available atwww.efmd.org/business-schools/deans-across-frontiers.

Deans across frontiers by Prof Chris Greensted

The quality of businessschools impacts directly onthe quality of management

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STRATEGY

LINKED TO

RESOURCES

FACULTY

LINKED TO

INTELLECTUAL ACTIVITY/OUTPUT

PROGRAMMES

LINKED TO

STUDENTS

STRATEGIC POSITIONING

LINKED TOEXTERNAL LINKS

DAF Evaluation Criteria

The Deans Across Frontiers modelviews a business school as a wheelwith a number of interlinked activityspokes, which emanate from thesenior management hub, and whichtogether are located within itsenvironmental context.

The Business School seniormanagement are the hub of the wheelwhile the rim is the environmentalcontext. The activities are the spokesof the wheel which must be mutuallysupportive and interactive and theyalso make the practical link betweenthe senior management hub andthe environmental rim. The diagonalaxes are major links but are alsointerdependent on the other axes:

The environmental context must be

taken as a given set of variables. Theseof course must be fully understoodby the School’s senior managementteam but are not part of the qualityassessment process. The eight spokesare aspects of the School’s activitieswhich can be influenced by seniormanagement decision making andactions. The performance of these areable to be assessed, and link ultimatelyto the overall perceived quality of theBusiness School. The evaluation ofthese spokes should be made availableto all of the School’s stakeholders sothat any improvements necessary maybe clear to them.

The structure is designed to be flexibleand not to constrain a school to anyparticular portfolio of activities ororganisational structure. It thereforeallows for diversity between schools,countries, cultures, etc. These aspectsare fundamental to a legitimatebusiness school. Furthermore sinceorganisations in-country must actinternationally, the business schoolsthemselves must take an internationalperspective.

DAF Mentoring

Structured mentoring is the core ofthe DAF system although it uses peerevaluation as its starting point. TheMentor to be appointed is likely tohave been a member of the PeerReview Team and therefore will havea good understanding of the currentsituation. The Mentor “contract” willbe for a period of 3 years initially.

The role is purely advisory and notexecutive. It is likely that the Mentorwill be able to advise on:

– The development of various activityareas within the school

– The senior management structure,management style and culture

– The personal development of thesenior management team

The role should also have a networkingperspective with other business schools.A formal link or partnership may beformed with the Mentor’s own institutionto facilitate faculty and studentexchanges, potential sponsorship, etc.There should be mutual benefits in suchlinks, since the transfer of knowledge(different cultures, types of economy,working practices, etc) would work inboth directions. Some of the topmember schools may offer tangiblesupport to less privileged schools aspart of their own social responsibilityinitiatives.

The School will be expected to write ashort progress report annually on which

the Mentor will provide written feedback.This formal process is designed tomaintain momentum and it will bea condition for any future funding.

S T R A T E G Y

BUSINESS SCHOOL WHEEL

MA R

K E T

P O S I T I O NI N G

E X T E R NA L

L I NK S

PROGRAMMESSTUDENTS

F A C U L T Y

I N T E

L L E C

T U A L

A C T I V I T Y

R E S O U

R C E S

FACULTYSENIOR

MANAGEMENT

E N V I R

O N MENTAL

C O N T E X T

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The DAF Partnership

The DAF system is offered by EFMDand run through its Quality ServicesDepartment as a quality improvementsystem complementary to its EQUIS andEPAS accreditation systems. Its activitiesare overseen by the DAF Committee.The DAF Committee comprisesmembers drawn from both thedeveloped and the developing world.

Funding for DAF is designed to comefrom a partnership of bodies such as:

a. Infrastructure contribution and

some funding from EFMD andother member organisations

b. A contribution from schools in theDAF process (where possible*)

c. Partner schools providing mentorsand their travel/accommodationexpenses

d. Donor agencies such as EU, UNDP,World Bank, etc

Mentors and peer reviewers will beexpected to give their time withoutcharge.

* While fees are charged for DAF,

applications are invited for full or partial

scholarships. The contribution from each

school will depend on their perceived

ability to pay. In all cases, some

contribution will be required. Funds from

fees will largely be fed back into the DAF

system in order to fund the scholarships

for less well resourced institutions.

The DAF challenge

The spirit of DAF and especially therelationship between mentor andinstitution is one of mutual cooperationand learning. The evaluation andmentoring of a school has to considerthe educational, cultural and politicalenvironment in which the institutionoperates, and relate it to a widerinternational context. It is not theintention of DAF to promote anyparticular model of a Business Schoolbut to give contextualised assistanceor advice.

However environmental contexts varytremendously within and betweencountries and especially acrosscontinents. Normal behaviour in oneplace can be unacceptable in another,and different value sets are oftenimposed from outside the institution.Many schools have to operate in difficultenvironments with limited controlor autonomy. DAF recognises theseconditions and constraints, but advice

given by DAF need not necessarilyaccept the status quo. External advicefrom international experts cansometimes facilitate change which canbe difficult to achieve from the inside.

DAF reviewers and mentors recognisethat they must not fall into the trap ofexporting their own values and models,especially to developing countries.For example, in many countries thegeneration of employment and socialbenefit is much more important than

profit maximisation. The DAF team willgo in with the spirit of partnership ratherthan paternalism. Indeed there isnow much that can be learnt by thedeveloped economies from the rapidlyemerging countries in Africa, Asia, SouthAmerica and India. Western partnerschools have much to learn from thedeveloping world and vice-versa. DAFaims to be a bridge between theseworlds.

Current status

The initial development work for DAFis complete and has been approved bythe DAF Committee. The pilot phasehas now been officially launched andthe DAF office welcomes applications.These may be from any school anywherethat is seeking advice on its futuredevelopment.

As DAF is still at an early stage ofdevelopment, individuals and institutionsare invited to become involved with DAFas a mentor, reviewer, donor or partner

school.

EFMD views DAF as helping to fulfilits mission of promoting excellence inbusiness and management educationworldwide. Furthermore DAF enablesEFMD to provide that service acrossthe full quality spectrum of businessschools, whether they be a memberor not. In this way it aims to continueto add value to the global network ofbusiness schools.

External advice frominternational experts can

sometimes facilitate changewhich can be difficult toachieve from the inside

Deans across frontiers by Prof Chris Greensted

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Prof Chris Greensted is Associate Director of EFMD’sQuality Services Department

For further information please see the DAF section of

the EFMD website www.efmd.org/business-schools/deans-across-frontiers or email [email protected]

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A BUSINESS MODEL FOR THE 21ST CENTURY

A new design for tailored executive education is emerging –Gert-Jan van Wijk and Jamie Anderson report on the Platform Model

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13EFMD Global Focus | Volume 06 | Issue 01 2012Customised Executive Learning – A Business Model for the 21st Century by Gert-Jan van Wijk and Jamie Anderson

All people involvedrealise that learningcomes from facilitatedaction learning

Traditionally, the world of customised executive education has beendominated by top-tier business schools that are generally positioned inthe top twenty-five of rankings such as the Financial Time s and Business

Week lists. More recently we have seen the emergence of a new customisedexecutive education model – what can be termed the ‘Platform Model’ – thatis being leveraged by some of the world’s largest corporations.

The Platform Model for executive learning recognises the existence of whathas become a two-sided network, entailing a triangular set of marketrelationships. On one side of this network are the individuals and firmsthat possess specialist skills and expertise, and on the other side areorganisational clients seeking learning solutions. The need for these

two groups—the network’s “sides”—to interact with each other efficientlyhas created the opportunity for the emergence of intermediaries – whattechnology-based industries commonly call platform providers. The Platformembodies an architecture —a design for services, and infrastructure facilitatingnetwork users’ interactions—all at low delivered cost. Platform providers canbe small, such as Netherlands based ‘the world we work in’ or substantiallybigger: such as Antwerp Management School, the Lorange Institute ofBusiness, Mannaz of Denmark and London-based Duke CE.

The platform is a boundaryless organisation, which drives executivelearning ROI, through customisation, real action learning assignments andteamwork of faculty who integrate the learning. These characteristics arenot the exclusive domain of platform intermediaries, but we have witnessed

that executive education buyers increasingly value these characteristics intheir decisions to source executive learning. This development potentiallycreates a disruptive effect in the market, and will require top-tier businessschools to re-evaluate their approach. The implications reach beyond theworld of executive education to all professional services, such as consultingand advertising, where intelligent networks of independent people co-creating solutions with clients could be the future of competition.

The Platform Model

Platform intermediaries build client relationships by becoming trustedadvisors, and act as open gateways to introduce corporations to a linkednetwork of professionals. The platform model transforms executiveeducation into executive learning: the architecture ensures that all design,development and delivery activities are aimed at the participants of theprogramme, rather than faculty teaching or facilitating the programme(see example at Diagram 1 – overleaf).

Program design within the platform ecosystem focuses on outcomes andlearning processes rather than business/academic content. Furthermorethe platform ensures that all programmes are sourced by faculty whoare interested in the client’s business reality and show a willingness tocollaborate with others to create an integrated programme. Finally allpeople involved realise that learning comes from facilitated action learningin which participants are given the concepts, tools and skills to apply in realbusiness challenges.

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Drivers of the Platform Model

The platform model is primarily driven bya changing client demand for return oninvestment (ROI). In recent years clientdemand has evolved around demonstratingthe ROI of executive learning through theenhancement of the practical skills ofexecutives and the implementation of tangible

business results. The requirement to proveROI has led to a much closer involvementof buyers in the design of programmes andgenerally a higher level of sophisticationamongst clients. They know what creates areal impact and they will demand it regardlessof departmental or institutional domains.

This increasing sophistication of clientdemand pushes the world of customisedexecutive learning to customise and innovatebeyond the boundaries of a single institutionor knowledge domain. The client may request

different providers to work together, previousconsultants’ work to be integrated, orcertain professionals to be included inthe offering because of their know-how,skill or relationship with the company.Concurrently we have observed clientsasking to integrate divergent managementdisciplines, research areas, and learningmethodologies. Increasingly the skills ofopen collaboration and innovation havebecome differentiating capabilities of acustomised executive education provider,

because in practice these capabilities canhardly be attributed to a single institution.

Clients have also become familiar with thebenefits of working with professional practicesoutside the academic domain. They recognisethat their executives’ development needscover the physical, emotional and spiritual,as well as the intellectual. In order to meetthese demands a broad range of professionalsfrom literature, the performing arts, media,wellness and sports bring expertise toaddress broader learning needs. Clients

understand that “non-academic” programmeelements can create a high impact, if theyare well integrated in the overall designand linked to the academic contribution. Therole of the platform intermediary is to bringentirely different worlds, mindsets and peopletogether and ensure that everyone involvedcan translate their profession to the businessworld, and understand their role in the overallprogramme.

The Platform Model has been underpinned byan explosion in the number of intellectual free

agents who desire to collaborate openly with

Diagram 1

The Platform Model (example)

CLIENTORGANISATION

PROGRAMMEDIRECTOR

INDUSTRYEXPERT

ARTISTACADEMIC A

COACHINGNETWORKACADEMIC B

PLATFORM INTERMEDIARY

other individuals and institutions. Thesefree agents are knowledge workers whodetermine their own work portfolio andintegrate their own work/life tradeoffs,without a contractual commitment to asingle employer. In the executive educationworld the free agent has often once workedfor a business school, where the classic

divide between tenure track academics,non-tenure track faculty and ‘administrativestaff’ often limits career possibilities.Academics who haven’t chosen the tenure-track route, can be marginalised or evenforced-out of traditional business schoolhierarchies, regardless of their executiveeducation capabilities. Talented executiveeducators often choose a free agent rolewholly or partially outside the boundariesof the business school. Their commitmentand values are with the clients, the learningprocess, the delegates and their disciplinaryknow-how, and they value the collaborationin the kind of open network offered by theplatform model. In turn, this networkedcollaboration has been empowered by thepervasive spread of low-cost informationand communication technologies, suchas the communication service Skype andthe file sharing service Dropbox, that areenabling virtual teams to deliver integratededucational offerings.

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15EFMD Global Focus | Volume 06 | Issue 01 2012Customised Executive Learning – A Business Model for the 21st Century by Gert-Jan van Wijk and Jamie Anderson

Guiding philosophy of the Platform Model

Ultimately many of the tangible buildingblocks of a more traditional organisation suchas buildings, physical infrastructure, systemsand job contracts have been replaced byintangible pillars like trust, relationships,collaboration, agility and quality of execution.These pillars are solely dependent on

the capabilities and commitment of theprofessionals involved – it relies upon“locking-on” clever people through a deepersense of commitment, reciprocity andshared purpose rather than “locking-in”faculty through formal contracts and formalperformance measurement tools. In thissense all the professionals are viewed asclients rather than resources. The abilityto accelerate change and transform clientorganisations must be reflected in thetransformation of all professionals involved.

The platform model is underpinnedby independence, and the role of theintermediary between the two sides of thenetwork is to be impartial and authentic. Theapproach is solutions oriented and focusedon achieving the best outcomes for clients andpartners. A prerequisite is that the platform“creates an environment in which…cleverpeople can thrive” (2007, Goffee & Jones).The possibility that people will thrive is

Clients recognise that their executives’ development needscover the physical, emotional and spiritual, as well asthe intellectual

enhanced if the platform can link theprofessionals directly to their commitment,development and values. The underpinningcore values of this organising model aretrust, transparency and continuous learning.

Limitations of the Platform Model

Successful platform intermediaries excel atwhat Ghoshal (1999) called: “managing theintangibles: people, process and purpose”.The Platform model strengths (speed,entrepreneurship, agility and passion) arebased on these pillars. Simultaneously it alsoshows the limitations of the Platform Model:

People: Relationships and (virtual)collaboration are the cornerstones of eachteam working on a client project. The subtledifference between real open collaborationand ‘going through the motions’ is sometimeshard to detect. Yet ‘going through the motions’

clearly is not good enough. The PlatformModel is built upon working with professionalswho are usually self aware, (overly) confidentand deeply uncertain and anxious to delivergood performance, and do at least as wellas their peers on the programme. Clientexpectations, participant evaluations and thefree agent status may add to this insecurity. Inorder to deliver excellent programs all theseanxieties need to be overcome individually aswell as a team. It requires careful relationshipbuilding, continuous encouragement andmutual feedback.

Process: Excellent programmes rely on clearand well-run support processes executedby colleagues often in the early phases intheir careers. The collaboration betweenfaculty and programme coordinators is ascrucial as between faculty and the resultof anything less than flawless teamworkis immediately visible in the delivery of theprogramme. Since the platform membersare involved in various different networkswith different procedures, it requires anextra effort to get them to understand theadministrative processes, focus attentionon building a relationship with coordinatorsand adhering to these processes.

Purpose: With distributed leadership, openboundaries and sometimes little managementin place, all the emphasis in the platform isfocused on creating immediate outcomes forclients. As professionals are typically paid ona per diem basis, it can be a challenge to getpeople involved in the longer term continuityof the platform. Creating rituals, a brand

and meaning beyond today’s work is

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Textbox 1

Comparing the Business School and Platform Model for Executive Learning

Compare and contrast easily creates ‘archetypes’. This text box paints the ‘black and white’ picture of the two models.

Many organisations display features of both models.

Dimension Business School Platform Model

Reputation Brand as quality guarantee Track record of professionals and intermediary referrals as quality guaranteeBoundaries Clear institutional boundaries Immediate access to professionals

Purpose Primary aim is research Primary aim is a program with impact

Starting point Academic content led Broad range of perspectives and professionals included underpinned by academic insight

Orientation Teaching, faculty orientation Facilitation, participant and result orientation

Connections Connecting disciplines Integrating holistic learning experience

Collaboration Collaboration has no incentive Multiplicative effects of open collaboration

Proposition Leading edge knowledge and Further strategy execution and people development

‘right’ answers

Ownership Proprietary Shared

complicated by the fact that many are dispersed around theglobe. The moments of togetherness, celebration and loss arerarely shared by the whole community, whilst we know howpowerful these are to build community. Can we really talkabout community here? Are we entering new eras ofcommunity building?

The Dilemma for Business Schools

Traditional top-tier business schools face a number of

dilemmas in responding to the Platform Model. Top-tierbusiness schools typically draw from their internal facultypool for the teaching of executive education programs,with the belief that academic faculty best understand thelatest insights and are best placed to explain these insights toan executive audience. Indeed, one of the main differentiatorscommunicated by top-tier business schools has been theleading edge research of their core faculty. Not surprisingly,most business schools are strict with regard to who can teachon executive education programmes. Many top-tier institutionsforbid the use of external faculty and especially non-academics (ie. non-PhD qualified consultants or

practitioners) thereby severely limiting access to thewider fields of knowledge offered by free agents.

Unlike the non-hierarchical philosophy underpinning thePlatform Model, academic faculty at top-tier business schoolstypically monopolise the ‘intellectual’ design of executiveeducation programmes. This approach can be limiting for anumber of reasons: academic faculty are experts in a specificmanagement discipline and often tend to frame client issuesthrough their own field of interest; academic faculty can bereluctant to collaborate and share their intellectual contentwith other faculty on a programme, making integrated designdifficult; research-oriented more traditional learning

approaches such as lectures and case studies, and; formallytrained academics can be dismissive of learning approaches

that have not been academically validated, which can be ratherlimiting when integrating approaches. It is instructive that veryfew top-tier business schools include teaching performanceas a key element of faculty evaluation.

Some long-established business schools have taken the pathof more open collaboration, with Duke University’s off-shootDuke CE probably the most widely recognised in this respect.But the vast majority of business schools are still grappling

with proprietary approaches more appropriate for theindustrial era than the 21st century knowledge economy.

Conclusions

It has been our aim to describe an emerging model fordelivering customised executive learning programmes,which is gaining significance in the world of managementdevelopment. The continuing proliferation of intermediariesthat bring together free agents and clients to delivercustomised executive learning programs will pose anincreasing challenge to the dominance of the proprietarymodel of most top-tier graduate management schools.Especially, in these dire economic times, the platform model’s

approach has the potential to outbid the top-tier BusinessSchools and gain a foothold in the market for executivelearning. They may then establish what the Business Schools'current advantage is: a brand that makes them a trustedadvisor and provider of services. This could potentially bea disruptive development for Business Schools.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Gert-Jan van Wijk is Initiator at the world we work in.

Jamie Anderson is jointly Adjunct Professor of Strategic Management at Antwerp

Management School and Lorange Institute of Business Zurich, and visiting facultymember at ESMT.

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CAMPUS AFFAIRES

FSA Laval

Our World is Business

Our Business is the World

www.fsa.ulaval.ca

FSA Laval wishes to thank all of its partners and stakeholders for their trustand support leading up to the five-year renewal of its EQUIS accreditation.

FSA Laval is committed to being an internationally-recognized school in businesseducation. New programs such as our MBA Global Business, offered entirely in English,help students develop into true global business leaders.

GLOBAL BUSINESSEDUCATION WITH

A FRENCH TWIST

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What is the

EuropeanManagementSchool model?Over the last ten to fifteen years the identity, importanceand legitimacy of European management schools has

been strongly established in the context of the ‘businessof business schools’ writes Howard Thomas

EFMD AT 40 : 40TH ANNIVERSARY ARTICLE

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19EFMD Global Focus | Volume 06 | Issue 01 2012 What is the European Management School model? by Howard Thomas

The identity and positioningof the European business school

has been strongly influencedand shaped by the strategicrole of EFMD

Recent research undertaken with Fernando Fraguiero1 hasdemonstrated how schools such as INSEAD, IMD, LBS andWarwick have positioned themselves as internationalbusiness schools in global rankings such as the Financial

Times. And, the same rankings, established in 1999,currently show a significant number of European schoolsin the Top 100 Global Schools confirming the rapid riseand increasing stature of European business schools.

The identity and positioning of the European business schoolhas been strongly influenced and shaped by the strategic roleof the European Foundation of Management Development(EFMD) since its founding in 1971. EFMD has constantlyfocussed on linking European experience and ideas withmanagement practice and learning. It has also emphasisedinternationalisation and corporate linkages as essential tohigh quality management education.

Business school evolution

Up until the clear emergence of an European model, theevolution of European business schools largely followedthe pathways pioneered by U.S. Business Schools. Theearly business schools, described by Roger Martin2 asBusiness 1.0, were essentially ‘trade schools’ which soughtto teach managers how they should practically managethe functional aspects of their businesses. There was littleor no research carried out in these schools, and no cleartheoretical or academic framework. Herbert Simondescribed this period as a ‘wasteland of vocationalism’.

Following the Ford and Carnegie Foundation reports in1959 which critically reviewed the U.S. business schoolscene, a proposal for a new business school structureemerged (Business 2.0 in Martin’s terms). This emphasisedgreater academic rigour and scholarly depth and linkedsocial science disciplines (e.g economics, psychology andsociology) to the functional areas of business. It mandatedthe growth of the research mindset, common to thescientific disciplines, leading to knowledge creation (i.e.new knowledge not best practice) and the developmentof stronger, rigorous analytical abilities. In addition,graduate and doctoral education was further emphasisedas essential for modern business schools.

Many European scholars were subsequently trained inthese leading U.S. schools and when they returned, manyof them adapted the main elements of this U.S. model totheir economic and cultural contexts. However, over timeas they grew in stature they incorporated a series ofelements such as action-based, practice oriented researchmore reflective of European traditions alongside the moreacademically rigorous U.S. approach.

Consequently, by the early 1990s European business schoolshad achieved respect and growing influence in the field.Indeed, Professor Pedro Nueno, trained at Harvard Business

School, and an European pioneer at both IESE (Barcelona),with EFMD and CEIBS (Shanghai) and Claude Rameau3, aformer INSEAD Dean, noted that the diversity, identity andinternationalism of Europe and European managementshould be an inspiration for the rest of the world. Theybelieved that EFMD and European management schoolsshould emphasise their international character and be agentsfor transformation and change in management education.

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Indeed, the history of EFMD demonstratesits continued commitment to internationallinkages and activities. During the first 25years of its existence the InternationalProgrammes Unit of EFMD promoteda range of international alliances and

research centres including Euro-China,Euro-India, Euro-CIS, Euro-Arab andEuro-Palestine. This unusually wide-ranging international footprint atteststo its pioneering intent to transform theeducational infrastructure of rapidlyemerging economies such as China andIndia through cooperation with expertsfrom the European Management Schools.

And, it should be noted that the Euro-Chinainitiative itself led directly to the establishmentin China of the first independent internationalbusiness school in Shanghai (CEIBS – theChina-European International BusinessSchool) in 1994. With subsequent investmentthis school is now a very significant,and important, Asian school with broadinternational recognition in the rankings.

Fragueiro and Thomas provide a much morecomprehensive ‘map’ of the managementeducation landscape in Europe, showingthe breadth of the marketplace and itsheterogeneous nature. They point out that

European schools are generally viewed asmore eclectic and flexible and have generateda whole range of models reflecting theirdifferent leadership styles and culturaldifferences. Indeed, almost every countryin Europe now has a set of nationalBusiness School champions and many areinternationally ranked. France, the U.K., Spainand Switzerland have probably led the growthof international schools with countries suchas Germany now producing an increasinglyimportant set of business schools.

Almost every country in Europe now has aset of national Business School championsand many are internationally ranked

EFMD AT 40 : 40TH ANNIVERSARY ARTICLE

The European Management Model

What then are the characteristics of Europeanmanagement schools? What makes themdistinctive?

At the outset it is important to recognise that

management education originally startedin Europe and not the United States. Thepurpose was to improve the relatively lowsocietal and professional status of businessmanagers. The material taught was verypractical and focussed on increasing thebasic skill levels of managers. Indeed, theintellectual basis for the founding of businessschools in Wharton and Harvard in the early1900’s was the German Cameralist educationsystem. However largely because of privatedonations the business school concept grewmuch more rapidly in the U.S. and gainedacceptance much more quickly (e.g. AACSB(The Association to Advance CollegiateSchools of Business) was founded in theU.S.in 1916 while EFMD was not foundeduntil 1971 in Europe). Nevertheless France,Germany and the United Kingdom had alldeveloped schools of commerce in the midto late 19th century, and some of these servedas blueprints and influencing factors forcurricular developments in the twentiethcentury (particularly in the U.S.).

The European identity and model ofmanagement education has been shapedby the following main environmentalcharacteristics which differentiate theEuropean scene4.

Europe and the EU is a large trading areainvolving many cultures and countries.Its diversity means that European tradingcorporations have learnt how to expand anddevelop their businesses across borders.They have wide experience of internationalbusiness and international relations.

European companies have grown in sizeand have become leaner and fitter throughEuropean and international competition. Asa consequence there are now a series oflarge influential European corporations ofa multi-national character.

Most European countries have a stronggovernmental and public sector influenceon the conduct of business and businesspolicy. Europeans accept and recognise abroader role for government in businessand society.

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21EFMD Global Focus | Volume 06 | Issue 01 2012 What is the European Management School model? by Howard Thomas

Europeans generally favour sociallyresponsible capitalism over unbridledmarket capitalism. Centrist models ofsocial democracy are more common inthe European political environment thanin the United States.

Therefore, European business, andEuropean management education,has a more balanced relationshipwith government and society. Hence,business must be seen to grow not onlyeconomically and technically but also withsocial responsibility and legitimacy clearlystressed. It more directly cooperates withgovernment to improve poverty and socialwelfare and favours balanced human andeconomic progress.

In European management educationthe following themes, and differentiatingfeatures, are clearly evident:

The belief in socially responsiblemanagement education as stressedby agencies such as the GRLI (GloballyResponsible Leadership Initiative), EABIS(European Academy for Business inSociety) and PRME (The Principles ForResponsible Management Education).

The development of very close linkages

between business schools and corporateorganisations. As a consequence strongbridges between management educationand practice are evident in the rapidexpansion of executive education in Europe.This has led to a focus on action-based,project oriented learning often providing clearevidence of promising management practicesin business.

Internationalisation and globalisation are very important to large Europeancorporations (and the EU as a trading bloc)

as they expand their markets and corporateinfluence globally. European schools suchas INSEAD (in Singapore and Abu Dhabi),Nottingham (in China) and CEIBS (inShanghai) provide evidence of how Europeanschools have rapidly built an internationalfootprint to mirror the international growthperspectives of European businesses.

The Bologna Process and European Accordin management education have considerablystrengthened European managementeducation through the creation of common

management education structures for degreelevel management education. The resulting

EFMD AT 40

Howard Thomas is the Dean

of Lee Kong Chian School

of Business at SingaporeManagement University

and LKCSB Chair of Strategic

Management, former

Vice-President of EFMD,

honorary life member of

EFMD and long-standing

Board Member.

To celebrate and recognise

EFMD’s 40th Anniversary

Howard, and co-authors, are

writing a book to be published

by Emerald Group Publishing

next year. It examines

management education

and its futures focussing

on EFMD’s contribution

to management education

in Europe and its influence

around the world. The book’s

material is drawn from a

wide range of interviews

with leading management

educators.

simple credit transfer process across coursestaken in different European managementeducation institutions has strongly facilitatedcooperation and network building amongthese institutions.

The strong emphasis on qualitymanagement education is evident throughthe EQUIS process for business schools.A similar emphasis on quality assurance incorporate learning is also available throughEFMD's Corporate Learing ImprovementProcess (CLIP).

There is a much greater emphasis currentlyon cross-European educational networkingfor the development of interdisciplinaryresearch programmes and quality facultydevelopment. As a consequence the quality

of European research output is being fullyrecognised on the world scene.

In essence, European managementeducators have adopted a more balanced,and somewhat less analytically rigorous,perspective on management education. Theybelieve in a closer linkage with practice andfocus on a balanced view of management andleadership. While formal analytic and strategymodels are seen as valuable and sensible,it is argued that such analytically rigorous

approaches are heavily overstressed in

current curricula and lead often to theproduction of scientific research of littlepractical managerial relevance. The emphasison softer skills, more socially responsiblemanagement and vision and communicationskills for engaging employees are viewed ascritical and important. Indeed, Europeansstrongly believe in a balanced philosophyin management education involving anappropriate mix of course and project workto develop skills of analysis, synthesis andcriticism in their cohorts of students. Through

this process the differentiation betweenEuropean and other models of managementeducation becomes clear and provideswelcome diversity in models of managementeducation.

FOOTNOTES

1. Fernando Fragueiro and Howard Thomas‘Strategic Leadership in the Business School’Cambridge University Press, 2011

2. M.C. Moldoveanu and Roger L. Martin‘The Future of the MBA’ Oxford University Press, 2008

3. See ‘Training the Fire Brigade’ EFMD, 1996

4. See also Phillipe de Woot in ‘Training the Fire Brigade’EFMD, 1996

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Business schools can create new opportunities, says Alfons Sauquet,if they continue to relect on their role in society

Opportunities & Accountability

A good deal of pressure has been exertedon business schools in the wake of thefinancial crisis, on what our contribution

could have been or should have been. Butlet’s reflect instead on the actual contributionthat business schools make, or can make, tosociety. By taking stock of how we contributeto society, we can pave the way forwardtowards a sustainable, meaningful inputin the future.

Business schools undoubtedly play a greatnumber of different roles in society. Theirsystematic contact with more than 250,000GMAT takers each year and their direct accessto leading companies and institutions ensuresthis. Yet the extent to which each role is takenon, and the importance schools and societygive to it, depend greatly on the context inwhich they find themselves. Notwithstandingthe vast array of socio-political realities,the voices of different deans and academicsbrought together in the book Business Schools

and their Contribution to Society highlight akind of impact-on-society-mix that businessschools around the world work with. Whilethe weight schools give to each area varies,most are capable of exerting some influencein each.

To start with, let’s address the simple rolebusiness schools play in attracting, trainingand developing talent. Sophisticated humancapital is vital for economic development,and business school-trained managers

should be in a position to provide theoperational knowledge and the sound,efficient decision-making that fast-growingcompanies need. Business schools locatedin emerging countries have to prioritise theproduction of graduates educated to the

best possible level to take advantage of thepositive economic context at hand and thus,help the country to grow. In such cases the

main focus of the schools is on talentgeneration, as this is what stakeholdersexpect from them.

The second, and much debated, roleof business schools in society is theresponsibility we have for instilling valuesin the next generation of business leaders.Education in general can be described as

a way of empowering people to becomeactive agents in the transformation of theirsocieties. So the task of training futuresocietal transformers does not lie solelywith business schools. However, there is

Human capital is

vital for economicdevelopment

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23EFMD Global Focus | Volume 06 | Issue 01 2012Business Schools & Society: Opportunities & Accountability by Alfons Sauquet

Education in general can bedescribed as a way of empowering

people to become active agents inthe transformation of their societies

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no doubt that educational establishments areexpected to deliver graduates who have beenprovided with an ethical framework, and a

sense of the “big picture” as the backgroundto managerial decision-making. A numberof business schools already treat this issueas vital and go to great lengths to understandtheir part in it, and have imaginativelyintegrated this into their curricula.

Learning should also focus on the values andconduct which enable people to live togetherin a diverse and plural ecosystem. Businessschools have generally achieved and managedlevels of class-room diversity envied by otherdisciplines. But despite this plurality, many

schools seem to struggle to focus on values.It is deceptively simple to identify a set ofprecepts and declare them as ‘our values’to the world at large. It is quite a differentstory to create a framework for value-based decision-making in the wide-rangingcurricula of an MBA. The challenge goesbeyond the espoused values of the schoolitself. It lies in the development of the valuesof individual students. This boils down tohow to focus on business efficiency whilealso instilling an understanding of the

competencies necessary to take effectivedecisions, and their long-term consequences.

Thirdly, there is the role business schoolsplay in the formation of public opinion, andthe pressure they may be able to exert onpublic policy formation. This role can rangefrom helping the public interpret what ishappening, or providing guidelines on howto act with a view to changing public opinion,to lobbying public institutions with the aimof influencing political decisions. Again,the extent to which each school plays this

role depends. For example, the smaller thecountry, or the higher the need for economicdevelopment, the greater the level of influenceand responsibility the business school has inthis field.

Fourthly, business schools also have avital role to play in the development anddissemination of management and economicthinking resulting from research. In recentyears, there has been discussion on thequestion of rigour versus relevance. Much hasbeen made of the need for business schools

to move away from academic status-seekingyet inapplicable or irrelevant knowledge

advancement, towards more useful work on“the business of business”. The challenge liesin encouraging the use of research practices

underpinned by various methodologies, alongwith a sustained effort to transform basicresearch into actionable, relevant structureswhich eventually can inform practice. Creatingactionable outcomes requires focused effortfor little obvious academic prestige, while theuse of various methodologies requires flexibleminds. Business schools have to thinkcreatively about how to deal with this.

Finally and perhaps an extension of theseelements, is the relevance of the businessschool itself from an institutional standpoint.This is particularly evident in economiesthat are in transition, moving away fromcentralised models of governance or strictregulation. In such cases it is not just theoutput of the business school that is relevant,but the school itself as a milestone in thetransition. There are values embedded in thevery nature of scholarly work that permeateinstitutions forming a reference point for asociety in transition. In such cases, businessschools can become a beacon of development

within society.

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So with such a mix of potential influenceon society, business schools have a plethoraof challenges before them. These challenges

are relevant, regardless of the size, prestige,location or international reach of the school.We need to honestly reflect on our role insociety, considering how our mix is weightedand consciously decide how we wish to wieldour influence.

Business schools increasingly have tograpple with the commoditisation ofbusiness education globally. This shouldpoint towards the development of distinctprofiles, where schools would take theopportunity to reinforce unique or

competitive traits. Creating such a profileentails going far beyond a promotional orpositioning strategy, into the alignmentof resources towards true institutionaldevelopment. Yet this need to distinguishcan find itself directly at odds with thestandardisation goals laid down byaccreditation and ranking organisations.While these organisations clearly aim toraise the standard of business education,they may indirectly drive a push towardsincreasing similarity.

This, however, reflects another challengefor business schools; the mismatch betweenthe individual legitimate motivations ofprospective participants and what and howschools should address learning processesto maximise their contribution to society.For instance, MBA participants may wellchoose business schools for both theimage of the school and the ability it hasto help them get a good job on graduation,ahead of the educational content of theMBA itself. And when students do look

to content, it is the efficiency-maximisingtools of the trade they are after, not perhaps

The challenge lies in achieving a balancebetween ensuring excellent short termresults for the graduate, while alsoinstilling them with a long term perspective

Business Schools & Society: Opportunities & Accountability by Alfons Sauquet

critical thinking space. Yet it is in the content,that schools have a big chance to make adifference. Business schools increasinglyfind themselves stuck between meetingthe candidates’ immediate demands, andeducating them in a way that will maximisetheir contribution to society as the nextgeneration of leaders.

The challenge here lies in achieving a balancebetween these two, ensuring excellentshort term results for the graduate, whileinstilling them with a long term perspectivethat they did not necessarily ask for. Oneof the ways that this may be done is byincreasing the amount of critical thinking

required in a management degree orexecutive education. One approach maybe to go back to the humanistic roots ofmanagement, encouraging participantsto extract the causes and effects, as wellas examining the shortfalls of applyingcertain models or methods. At the sametime management education must not loseits capacity to produce effective managers.

Today’s business schools are not short ofchallenges. Rather than a clear-cut responseto what role business schools do or should

play in society, we are left with a rathermanagerial ‘it depends’. Even if we can allagree that business schools have a role toplay through influencing the next generationof business leaders, it is hard to say how thisshould be done, in the light of other externalpressures. Yet one thing is for certain. Ifschools do not reflect long and hard onthese issues, their role will never be clearand they will leave themselves open toongoing criticism. By taking continual stockof their role in society, business schools

around the world will find they can create newopportunities, embracing the accountabilitythat comes as part of this. We are seeing howbusiness schools are increasingly adoptinga more reflexive attitude. As well as producingand delivering knowledge, businessschools have a responsibility to society.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alfons Sauquet, Dean of ESADE Business School and co-editor of Business Schools and their Contribution to Society.

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Do you know what your risk exposures are?

Ulrich Hommel, Roger King, and Anna Pastwa open thedebate on risk management in the business school community

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As companies around the globe arebracing themselves for a recessionaryfall-out from Europe’s sovereign debtcrisis, business schools have also begun

searching for ways to cushion the negativebudgetary impact of such a downturn.

A report in the Financial Times (Deliveringmore with less, 4 December 2011) suggeststhat deans primarily target traditional driversof financial performance such as CRMsystems, cautious cost management oroperational efficiency gains. This begs thequestion to what extent business schools– and for that matter higher educationinstitutions in general – have establishedsound risk management systems, whichmove them credibly beyond the ex-postmanagement of risk exposures turned bad.

One of the very basic principles of riskmanagement is that “it is too late to lockthe barn when the horse has already bolted”.It means that business schools shouldactively manage (and ideally reduce) theirdependency on risk factors outside of theirarea of core competence and they should doso well ahead of risk-related losses actuallymaterialising. Globalisation has led many

business schools to adopt entrepreneurialinternationalisation strategies rangingfrom cross-border marketing of degreeprogrammes to the establishment ofoffshore campus operations. Additionally,the growing importance of accreditationsand rankings has fostered tournament-stylecompetition as seen in professional sports– costs are hiked up in an effort to improvecompetitive positioning, while subsequentrevenue gains are often negligible due tocompetitors pursuing similar strategies.

Evidence from EFMD accreditationsindicates that many business schoolsstill operate in an environment dominatedby short-term cash-basis accounting. Thesector has seen the emergence of a risk-taking culture, without a corresponding riskmanagement culture.

A prolonged recessionary downturn in Europepromises to change market dynamics infundamental ways. Governments are lesslikely to act as ‘lenders of last resort’ anduniversity parents will no longer be able tocross-subsidise failing schools. Above all,we will see a rising number of defensivemergers, coupled with for-profit institutionssignificantly extending their mainstreammarket coverage. The on-going process ofAsian business schools developing a globalpresence will gain speed as well. Facultymobility will increasingly be directed towardthe Far East, and the U.S. trend of shiftingfaculty resources from tenured researchers totemporary adjuncts will spill over to Europe.

Proper risk management is the very essenceof managing organisations well. This appliesto businesses in general as well as businessschools. Deans tend to have a tremendousinfluence on organisational performance,

much more so than typical CEOs. They areoften also personally responsible for excessiverisk taking and deficient risk management.Following Della Bradshaw’s argument(Trouble at the Top, FT.com, 4 December2011), the coming economic downturn willcertainly unveil more problems for businessschools. And, in response, a considerablenumber of institutions may follow the callto put non-academic managers in chargeand reduce faculty influence. The core issueis however not the managerial backgroundof the dean, but a lack of managerialprofessionalism supporting seniormanagement. Business schools need toimplement proper checks and balances,in particular with respect to the creationand management of risk exposures, whichchallenge a dean’s leeway over strategicdecision-making. Ultimately, it is a questionof properly designing external and internalrisk governance.

Risky Business: Do you know what your risk exposure s are? by Ulrich Hommel, Roger King and Anna Pastwa

We see a risk-takingculture, without arisk managementculture

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External governance covers two dimensions– regulatory oversight as well as thestrategic and operational control exercisedby the parent organisation or owners.Encouraged by international bodies suchas the OECD, World Bank, and the EuropeanCommission, risk-based regulation hasbecome diffused across different domains in

recent years. Increasingly, such risk-basedregulatory frameworks are beginning tocolonise higher education as well. In theUK, the Higher Education Funding Councilfor England (HEFCE) and the QualityAssurance Agency (QAA), is working on theintroduction of risk-based regulation by2013. Australia, through its new all-purposeregulator – the Tertiary Education Qualityand Standards Agency (TEQSA) – will do soby the end of 2012. Rather than subjectingevery institution to the same processes ofmonitoring, risk-based regulation is bydesign more discriminatory. It modulateslevels of institutional scrutiny on the basisof regulatory judgements concerning therisks posed by the institutions to the sectorand to the regulator. Rather than a uniformapproach that applies the same levels ofaudit to all providers, risk-based regulationvaries the scope and intensity of monitoringagainst explicit calculations of risk.

Risk-based regulation is meant to improvethe quality of regulation by becoming more

proportionate, targeted, and explicit. It aimsto control relevant risks, rather than securecompliance with a given set of rules. Partlythe aim is deregulatory: the lowest riskproviders should be free to becomeentrepreneurial and competitive globallyin a context of reduced regulation; high-riskproviders, however, receive increasedattention. This occurs in terms of‘detection’, but also ‘enforcement’strategies are likely to escalate to a punitiveand sanctions level more quickly thanwith other providers. Risk assessment

by regulators of institutions is meant tostrongly determine the allocation of theregulator’s resources.

Risk assessment by regulators looksbackward (‘track records’) and forward(anticipating risk) and connects the twoprocesses by looking at ‘inherent’ risks, onthe one hand, and management and controlof risks, on the other. The first refers to theintrinsic risks of a particular type of activity(commercial franchising with a relativelyunknown international collaborator, forexample, offering a high intrinsic risk);the second refers to the propensity of theorganisation’s internal controls to exacerbateor mitigate risk exposures.

These regulatory developments underscorethe need for business schools toinstitutionalise the risk management functionmore explicitly – defining internal riskmanagement processes and responsibilities,establishing proper reporting standards andlinking to their external governance. Companyfailures are an integral part of business lifeand they can be dealt with by reallocatingassets to a better use. The same logic doesnot apply to education, even for-profiteducation. Alumni have invested (and currentstudents are investing) in the reputation ofthe institution, and economic failure imposesan enormous negative externality on theseindividuals. This is one reason why regulatorsare showing a rising interest in monitoringrisk-taking behaviour of higher educationinstitutions.

The outright and unexpected failure of aneducational institution is a rare occurrence.

But risk ignorance in business schoolmanagement may be a slow and often hiddenprocess, such as the lowering of admissionstandards and student selectivity, reductionof faculty time devoted to non-incomegenerating activities (such as non-fundedresearch), diversification in search ofadditional funds, moving from high-marginto high-volume activities, or top-off coursesto award executive education participantsacademic degrees. Many of these indicatorsrely on self-reporting, and are thereforethemselves susceptible to operational riskfailures.

It is a question of properlydesigning external andinternal risk governance

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Risk management may not have been ahigh-priority issue in the past. It gains inrelevance as universities and colleges (andnotably business schools) are encouragedto become more entrepreneurial and to actwith greater autonomy – implying that schoolbudgets become more reliant on proprietaryrevenue sources. Risk-taking is regarded byboth governmental and university leadersas a source of value and innovation, but italso offers a multitude of potential hazardsif not properly planned for and anticipated.Reputation, once lost, is difficult to regain.The current economic climate, competitivemarket entry and general increases inrevenue volatility, coupled with operationalexpenses largely consisting of (quasi-)fixedcosts are worrying ingredients. They willleave a growing number of middle-of-the-pack and lower-tier business schoolsin a vulnerable position in the coming years.

Would these business schools be able tocope with these challenges in a laissez-faireenvironment? First, organisationscharacterised by risk ignorance tend toallocate resources from back to front officeactivities when hitting hard times. Hence, theyare least willing to invest in risk managementwhen it is needed the most. Second, businessschools need to focus on how risk exposuresmay ultimately impact institutional reputation,which is a fairly fuzzy concept. They willdisplay a natural reluctance to invest tangibleresources in order to achieve ambiguousgains. By doing so however, they disregard

the fact that once the impact of risk ignoranceon reputation becomes measurable, it istypically too late to stem the tide. Third, theperformance of deans is typically measuredby how much an institution has grownin terms of student body and faculty, byupgrades of physical facilities, by upwardmoves in the rankings, etc. Experts ofthe bull-market game are however notnecessarily the ones who can successfullyguide institutions during bear market times.

Designing a risk management system is inprinciple a straightforward conceptual task.Next to the aforementioned governanceaspects, it requires developing an explicitunderstanding of its purpose (the ‘objectivefunction’) in order to evaluate the benefitsof managing risks:

– identifying relevant risk factors and their

statistical properties,– measuring the exposures to these risk

factors,

– developing counter measures to hedge,mitigate or insure against criticalexposures,

– evaluating risk management performanceand carrying out feedback loops to adjustthe system.

The key analytical challenge is to understandhow risks actually interact with each other.

Major crises are always the result of severalthings going wrong at the same time.

EFMD is ideally positioned to raise generalawareness for the importance of managingrisk in business schools. We need a debateon the extent to which risk managementprinciples applied in the corporate worldshould be adopted by business schoolsas well and, if so, what modifications areactually needed and desirable. There is alsoscope for shaping the regulatory debateon this issue – and the business school

community is probably more qualified to doso than anybody else. We may also need toraise the bar for accreditation by becomingmethodologically more challenging, bybecoming more probing during reviewsand by offering more systematic adviceon embedding risk management in schooloperations and governance. The latteris particularly important since riskmanagement tends to be a centralisedactivity, which can potentially lead toinfringements of business school autonomy

by parent organisations. Universityadministrators will present strong argumentsthat risk is managed best at the source, i.e.when making strategic choices with respectto programmes, faculty, internationalisation,etc. Diluting strategic control over businessschool development may help to avoidundesirable risk in the short term, butis also likely to prevent risk taking whereit is actually desirable in the long term.

Risky Business: Do you know what your risk exposure s are? by Ulrich Hommel, Roger King and Anna Pastwa

DISCLAIMER

All opinions exp ressed in this pap erare the sole responsibility of theauthors and do not represent anofficial positi on of EF MD. We havereceived helpful comments and

suggestions on earlier versions of this paper from Roland van Dierdo nck,Chris Greensted, Julio Urgel andespecially Michael Osbaldeston.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Ulrich Hommel is Director ofResearch & Surveys, EFMD;Professor of Finance, EBSBusiness School and the editor of“The Strategic CFO”, Springer 2011)

Roger King is Visiting Professor, Schoolof Management, University of Bath

Anna Pastwa is Manager of Research

& Surveys, EFMD

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A 21st century publishing revolution? John Peters looks at the post-publicationenvironment and its unlikely heroes

UNLIKELY

HEROESIf we reflect on the publishing landmarksof the early 21st century so far, we mayfirst think of JK Rowling, Stephanie Meyer,Dan Brown and Stieg Larsson. The multi-million-selling epics of good and evil, loveand loss, vampires and wizards, puzzles,detectives, hackers and criminals have beencredited with turning an entire generationof teenagers (and quite a few adults) intoavid readers, and with reviving a flaggingfiction industry.

But when they write the history of publishingin the early 21st century, I wonder if it won’tlist heroes altogether more unlikely thanHarry Potter and Bella Swan. For example,John Locke, insurance salesman fromLouisville, Kentucky, who in 2011 becamethe first self-published author to clock upone million sales of digitally-downloadedbooks. Or Amanda Hocking, who signeda $2m contract with St Martin’s Press inMarch 2011, on the back of hundreds ofthousands of e-book sales (teen vampireromance again) on Amazon’s Kindle Store.

Locke and Hocking are unlikely new heroesof a revolution in publishing, which is takingplace on several fronts. Not just the switchfrom ink on paper to ‘e-ink’, but thefragmentation and unpredictability whichis coming from authors disintermediatingtraditional supply chains and finding smartways to go more directly to market.

Even the textbook market is getting in onthe action: according to social learningplatform, Xplana, one in four college

textbooks will be digital by 2015, withgrowth of between 80% and 100% overthe next four years.

80%+One in four college

textbooks will be digital

by 2015, with growth of

between 80% and 100%

over the next four years

2.7mBy 2010 ‘non-traditional’

titles had exploded to a

mind-boggling 2.7million;

a 130-times increase, now

comprising more than 90%

of total new titles

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31EFMD Global Focus | Volume 06 | Issue 01 2012Unlikely Heroes: A 21st century publishing revolution by John Peters

Venerable bibliographic data provider,Bowker’s industry stats show that in 2004,

just over 275,000 ‘regular’ books werepublished. A further 20,000 or so ‘non-traditional’ books (described as “reprints,often public domain, and other titles printedon-demand”) were published; less than7% of the total output (Table 1 – overleaf).

By 2010, ‘traditional’ new titles publishedhad grown to 316,000 – a steady 14% growthover the seven year period. But, in the

same period, ‘non-traditional’ titles hadexploded to a mind-boggling 2.7million;a 130-times increase, now comprisingmore than 90% of total new titles.

The world is certainly changing – andpublishers are finding the changeschallenging and unpredictable. Amazonannounced in May 2011 that Kindle e-booksare now out-selling paperback andhardback titles combined. Only a monthbefore, the Bookseller’s Phillip Jones was quoted as saying “The most bullish

predictions suggest that ebooks will accountfor 50 per cent of the US market by 2014 or2015, and then will probably plateau." TheUK’s Yorkshire Post reported in August 2011that “in January [2011] digital popular fictioncomprised three per cent of consumersales; by early summer they were six percent, and they’ve now hit 10 per cent”.

Industry blog Novelr stated “notraditional publisher in the world...

can offer Amanda Hockingterms that are better than

what she’s currentlygetting, right now on theKindle store, all on her own.”

Things are looking messy…

M

S I G N E D

A $ 2 M

C O

T M

R T I N

’ S

R E S S

I

M

1 1

T H E B

C K O F

H

E

S

F T

D S O F

B

S L E

S

M A Y

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C E D

D L

B O

K S

R

O

U T S

L L

P E

& A R

D

A C K S C O M

I

D

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Locke, Hocking and other digital revolutionaries seemto have learned as much from Apple iTunes and the ‘userreview’ approach of the App Store, Trip Advisor, etc asthey have from the mainstream publishing industry. Bothauthors price their fiction at iTunes rates. If you buy asong for a dollar and you decide you don’t much care for it– not much is lost. It’s not a high-commitment purchase.So why not take that philosophy and apply it to a novel?And why not take the advice of a fellow reader – someonelike you – rather than accept the word of a paid critic?

On his refreshingly irreverent website, Locke advisesstruggling authors to ignore publishers’ calls to “loweryour expectations”, advising them instead to “raise them”.The subtext is not just to ignore publishers’ discouragingadvice, but to ignore old-model publishers altogether.

My own field is the ultra-conservative one of scholarly

research publishing. In this world the talk is of double-blind peer review, 95 per cent rejection rates, and arcanemeasures of citation half-life and ‘eigenfactors’. Here ayear’s subscription to a handful of obscure paperspublished in a single journal can cost more than a smallcar; and a single article download can be $40 or more.

Although scholarly publishing was quick to embrace onlinetechnology – searching through hundreds of thousands ofpublished papers for something which matches a specialisedresearch interest is a whole lot easier online – it has firmlyresisted the messy, disintermediated, democratisedphilosophy of the digital era.

Technology-enabled innovations such as post-publicationpeer review, continuous online publishing, and utilisationof cloud technology and semantic search, creates a ‘lean’scholarly publishing model, with lower costs. Those pursuinga lower-cost model should be able to offer fair prices andmore pricing flexibility.

Locke advises struggling authors to‘raise expectations’ not lower them – thesubtext is not just to ignore publishers’discouraging advice, but to ignoreold-model publishers altogether

Table 1: Book industry statistics.

Source: Bowker

Date New titles New titles Total‘traditional’ ‘non-traditional’

2010 316480 2776260 3092740 (estimate)

2009 302410 1033065 1335475

2008 289729 271851 561580

2007 284370 123276 407646

2006 274416 21936 296352

2005 251903 30597 282500

2004 275793 19730 295523

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REFERENCES AND SOURCES

http://amandahocking.net/

http://donovancreed.com/

www.novelr.com/2011/02/27/rich-indie-writer

www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/selfpublished-author- joins-kindles-elite-millionseller-list-2300724.html

www.bowker.com/index.php/book-industry-statistics

www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/lifestyle/the-arts/why_you_can_t_even_judge_a_holiday_ebook_by_its_hi_tech_cover_1_3680059

www.readwriteweb.com/archives/1_in_4_college_textbooks_will_be_digital_ by_2015.php

www.webmedcentral.com

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

John Peters is CEO of GSE Research; online publisher of scholarly researchand business information in the areas of Governance, Sustainability andEnvironmental Management. GSE is working with likeminded partnersincluding Pub2Web (semantic web technology hosts); OKS (digital productionand workflow); Institute of Directors India; Social Science Research Network(SSRN); EABIS, the Academy of Business in Society; and EFMD; to embrace thechallenges of sustainability, governance and the digital information revolution.

[email protected]

When we formed GSE Research, a new-model scholarlypublisher in 2011, we chose to locate firmly in this messynew world. It makes little sense for work which has been

a year or two in the making to wait another year or two – orlonger – to progress through peer review, revision, production,and the inevitable queue to be published in a future issue.But the change from a process which takes years, to onethat takes weeks or days between submission andpublication, needs a change in mindset, not justtechnology.

In our field of corporate governance, CSR, sustainabilityand environmental management, speed to market andinclusivity are important. A light-touch editor review,followed by post-publication peer review, comment anddevelopment, allows GSE to achieve this.

Widening participation in research publishing is anotherchallenge, which must be met. We need to bring in ideas,working papers, case studies, teaching and learningmethodologies and company-based material, as well astraditional scholarly research. We must lower barriers toentry for scholars from the developing world, practitionerswith something to say, and less-experienced researchers.

Questions about quality control will, invariably, be raised.But as Dr Kamal Mahawar of the innovative medicalpublisher Webmed put it, “Why do people think thatrespectable professionals with good reputations would

put their names to bad research, just because there isno peer review system in place to stop them doing so?”

To those from academia who feel locked into the gameof tenure, rigour, four-star journals and citation counting,I say: play that game, if you must. Just don’t play it all thetime Spend 10% or 20% or 30% on a different game; oninclusivity, relevance, and getting ideas into circulationquickly and openly. That’s all it needs.

John Locke and Amanda Hocking will not displace JK Rowlingand Stephanie Meyer. They offer alternatives. This isn’t arevolution which seeks to overthrow the old regime, but towork alongside it, offering choices, alternatives, and broaderparticipation. In common with others such as the SocialScience Research Network (SSRN) we fully expect someauthors to develop ideas in GSE’s friendly post-publicationenvironment, and to be published in traditional mediaelsewhere.

There is a freshening wind blowing through traditionalresearch publishing and it is blowing towards the future.Protests about passing fads, lowering of quality standardsand the need to preserve a system which has served us wellfor several hundred years, won’t make the tide turn back orthe wind stop blowing.

There has been much talk through 2011 of revolution – the

‘Arab Spring’ and the battles for self-determination andfreedom of expression in Egypt, Libya, Syria and elsewhere.Revolutions typically come with weapons and bloodshed.The revolution in our industry is of a different sort, where theweapons are words, ideas, websites, e-books and Kindles.

We need to understand this revolution, and create somenew rules; of choice, inclusivity, fair dealing, authorengagement and open-mindedness. Publishers need toembrace the ideas that underpin the revolution and moveforwards through the next decades.

The unlikely heroes of the publishing revolution around us

in the early 21st century are playing a significant part inhistory. We at GSE Research are pleased to be part of therevolution; embracing the brave new world of democratisedand globalised scholarly endeavour.

Unlikely Heroes: A 21st century publishing revolution by John Peters

We must lower barriers to entry for

scholars from the developing world, practitioners with something to say,and less-experienced researchers

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Definingthe roleof business

schoolsBaback Yazdani, Dean of Nottingham BusinessSchool, looks at how business schools across theglobe might define their role

Today there are more than 12,000 knownbusiness schools across the globe, andthe number is increasing every year. This

is due to an increasing demand from theglobal student population, people at workwho wish to advanced their careers, andof course the employers of graduates inbusiness and management.

According to data collected by the Associationof Business Schools (ABS) in the UK, 1 in 7undergraduate students are now studying

business or a related subject. This amountsto some 200,000 students across the country.70,000 postgraduate students study business,management and closely related subjects;about 12% of the total UK postgraduatepopulation.

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35EFMD Global Focus | Volume 06 | Issue 01 2012Defining the role of business schools by Baback Yazdani

>12kThere are more than 12,000known business schoolsacross the globe today, andthe number is increasingevery year

1:7... 1 in 7 undergraduatestudents are now studying business or a related subject

12%...which is about 12% of

the total UK postgraduate population

The growth observed in the UK, is alsoreflected across the world with many newbusiness schools being set up. This growth

is a function of demand. All stakeholders,but particularly the students themselves,expect a lot from the educational experiencewe in the business school community provide.This puts a special responsibility upon ourshoulders.

The stakeholders of a business school area more widely-spread community thanmight be first thought of. Figure 1 overleaf

shows a representation of business schoolstakeholders.

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Simplicity is hardto achieve and onlya few do actuallymanage to hit thesweet spot

Business schools can be classified accordingto the main focus of their work, and how theyinteract with the wider stakeholders whichmake up the sources of their operatingincome. A great variety and diversity existsamongst schools, which reflects how they

see themselves and their role and placein the world and how they respond to thepressures operating in their markets. Thesepressures, and market choices, include pricepositioning, rankings, and institutional focus.

We can however draw three very broadcategories:

1: Research Focused

2: Teaching Focused

3: Integrationists

At one end of the spectrum there are thoseschools which aim to focus on excellence inteaching, and who build their market positionaround the teaching and learning experience.At the other end of the spectrum there arethose that predominantly focus on research,reflecting the character of their client baseand institutional heritage. These two positionscan become quite polarised. A third positionis what I call the ‘integrationist’ position;integrating research, engaging withbusiness,and bringing research andbusiness insights into its teaching andlearning experience.

This integrationist position is one we aim forat Nottingham Business School. But takingthis stance creates the challenge ofcompeting effectively for top quality businessschool faculty. Consequently the number ofbusiness schools which successfully integrate

their main lines of activity are limited to asmall amount in most countries.

This integration can prove difficult whenrankings are a key objective, because thepursuit of a top-class research agenda is animportant driver of rankings. Similarlythose schools where teaching dominates– particularly at MBA level, frequently findit difficult to stay relevant and excel inresearch.

However, the most transformational gain

is at the full intersection of the three mainactivities of research, engagement withbusiness where the ideas gain reality andrelevance and are tested, and educationthat reflects both rigorous research andapplication, as shown in the Figure 2 below.But simplicity is hard to achieve and only afew do actually manage to hit the sweet spot.

Figure 1:

The Main Stakeholders of Business Schools

Figure 2:

Transformational gains at the intersectionof key activities

EDUCATIONBUSINESS

ENGAGEMENT

RESEARCH

TRANSFORMATIONAL

PEOPLE & KNOWLEDGE

RESEARCH

EDUCATION

SOCIETY & COMMUNITY(INC. FUTURE GENERATIONS)

BUSINESSENGAGEMENT

l

si

Government

Students

Parents

mni

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Nottingham Business School’sIntegrationist Approach.

Nottingham Business School (NBS) aimsto pursue this ‘middle way’ integrationistapproach. Although, as discussed thisraises a number of challenges, we try todo so via a number of deliberately designedand executed strategies.

First and foremost is our mission statement.This gives a public ‘this is who we are’statement, and sets us up to be judged onwhether we succeed or fail in its execution.NBS has set itself the mission to provideeducation and research that combinesacademic excellence with impact,transforming business and organisationsthrough knowledge and people. This remindsus – NBS faculty, customers and stakeholders– that we are here to serve our customers.In the sometimes inwardly-focused worldof business education and scholarship, wefind this is a valuable reminder!

Secondly, and following from the overarchingmission statement, we aim to set outdefinitions for each of our operationsof research, business engagement andeducation. The research mission of NBS isto develop research with impact on business,management and policy. Therefore, we set

ourselves an orientation towards ‘BusinessR&D’ rather than ‘pure research’. Wechallenge ourselves to test research inbusiness practice, with our corporateand government clients and students.

Similarly our business engagement missionis to embed the NBS way of applying theoryto practice and focus on work based learning,and assuring a supply and developmentof top business and management andleadership talent.

The role of education for NBS also fits ourintegrative stance. We state that we aim todesign and deliver programmes that integratetheory and practice. Even at undergraduatelevel we aim to ensure application of theoryin real business environment through a range

of work and practice based learning. To helpexecute this strategy, we have carefullycultivated long term relationships withbusinesses that sponsor 600 fully paidplacement opportunities every year. Similarlythe postgraduate programmes are designedto ensure practice and application of theories.We have tried to reflect our mission throughdesign; the NBS MBA includes a week longteam based Consultancy Project in major UKcompanies, an International ConsultancyProject and an applied Dissertation based on

a strategic problem for a partner company orindustry.

The ‘integrative’ approach is not for everyone.Its pursuit is partly about setting out astrategic intent, but more importantly, aboutdelivering that intent. As with the execution ofany successful strategy, it requires disciplineand perseverance.

The number ofbusiness schoolswhich successfullyintegrate their mainlines of activity areonly few in everycountry

Defining the role of business schools by Baback Yazdani

600 We have an aim to designand deliver programmesthat integrate theory and practice – to help executethis strategy, we havecarefully cultivated longterm relationships with businesses that sponsor600 fully paid placement

opportunities every year

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Professor Baback Yazdani is Dean of Nottingham BusinessSchool (NBS) and Professor of Product Development, andthe Vice-Chair and member of the Executive Board of theUK Association of Business Schools.

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Over the past three decades business schools haveundergone significant changes, due in part to the work

of media ranking publications contend Robert S. Rubin,Eric C. Dierdorff , and Fredrick P. Morgeson

1st

4th

2nd

5th

3rd

6th

7th

Time for a morecomplete view of MBA

Programme quality

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39EFMD Global Focus | Volume 06 | Issue 01 2012From Rankings to Ratings by Robert S. Rubin, Eric C. Dierdorff, and Fredrick P. Morgeson

We discovered thatmedia rankings arehighly deficient. Mostof the indicators weuncovered are notrepresented inmedia-rankings

Rankings such as BusinessWeek , US News

& World Report, and Financial Times havepushed MBA programs toward increasedaccountability to constituent concerns.Indeed, our colleagues who were in businessschools prior to BusinessWeek refer to lifeback then as “BBW” – before BusinessWeek .

Business schools seemed to have heardthe central message: come down from theivory tower and get to work improving theMBA. After all, stakeholders have the rightto know how their resource investmentswill be shaped. The influence of mediarankings on recruiter behavior, alumnidonations, placement, applicant qualityand so forth is undeniable.

The general consumer view of media rankingsis that they objectively and comprehensivelysummarise an MBA programme’s most

fundamental product – educational quality.Unfortunately, academic research showsrankings are inadequate indicators ofeducational quality. We believe the timehas come to move business schoolassessment away from incompleterankings and toward a comprehensiverating system.

Moving to a rating system requires adetailed understanding of the essentialcriteria that constitute educational qualityin graduate management education. Todate, such an important undertaking hasyet to be conducted. We recently conducteda research study aimed at systematicallydefining and assessing what constitutesMBA program quality. Our research buildsthe necessary foundation to move beyondrankings, and towards a rating system.

MBA Academic Quality

We reviewed the academic literature oneducational quality, both within businesseducation and in post-secondary educationin general. We also reviewed media sourcesand accreditation standards. From this initialeffort we identified nearly 50 sources and

derived more than 300 different educationalquality indicators.

We reviewed these indicators, and sortedthem into twenty four key indicators, withinnine broad clusters (below). These indicatorswere then independently verified by subjectmatter experts. This is a synopsis of ourquality model:

1. Curriculum:a) content, b) delivery, andc) program structure

2. Faculty:a) qualifications, b) research,c) teaching, and d) overall quality

3. Placement:a) alumni network, b) career services,c) corporate/community relations.

4. Reputation:a) perceptions of programme quality

5. Student learning and outcomes:a) personal competency development,b) student career consequences, c) economic

outcomes, and d) learning outcomes6. Institutional resources:a) facilities, b) financial resources,c) investment in faculty, d) tuition andfees, and e) student support services.

7. Programme/institution climate:a) diversity and b) educational environment

8. Programme student composition:a) the overall makeup and quality of students

9. Strategic focus:a) the quality of the articulated institutional

mission and strategic plan.

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The more we looked at the challengeof understanding quality of educationalprogrammes, the more complex we found it.We especially wanted to avoid the so-called“criterion-problem,” which refers to theinherent difficulties in conceptualising andmeasuring concepts that are clearly multi-dimensional in nature. Criteria developed with

insufficient thought regarding the ultimateaim – in this case, quality of education – willbe deficient. Indeed, one critical misstep ofany evaluative system is to begin assessmentwithout first developing a completeunderstanding of the essential indicatorsof interest.

Based on our research, most existingindicators of programme quality lackthe multidimensionality we uncovered.When comparing our model’s 24 qualitydimensions against media rankings, we

discovered that media rankings are highlydeficient. BusinessWeek and Financial

Times rankings cover only 9 or 10 of the 24dimensions in their rankings’ criteria, andUS News & World Report covered just four.That is, at least 60% of the indicators weuncovered are not represented in mediarankings. We therefore recommend cautionin interpreting the meaning of rankings asoverall quality indicators.

At the same time, if stakeholders areinterested in knowing about a few

dimensions (e.g. student economicoutcomes), rankings do capture some ofthis information, albeit on a limited numberof institutions.Yet, even here, many of thecriteria captured in rankings are largely outof direct institutional control. For example,our subject matter experts indicated thatthe most malleable aspects of MBAprogramme quality are those falling underCurriculum and the least malleable asReputation. Ironically then, reputationrepresents the factor least sensitive to

institutional change efforts yet is the veryfactor driving most media rankings.

Our research also captured reactions toassessing quality from MBA policy-makers(e.g., programme administrators, associatedeans, etc.) A few results were troublingto say the least. For instance, only 9% ofpolicy-makers endorsed the idea that mediarankings provide “good measures” of overallquality, yet 73% reported that their institutions

pay close attention to rankings. Herein lies thetyranny of rankings: academic stakeholders(and even many publishers of rankings) knowthat media rankings are flawed, but with fewalternatives available, they feel stuck chasingthe rankings rather than their uniqueeducational mission. Yet, as a study byFred Morgeson and Jennifer Nahrgangon the stability of media rankings recentlyshowed, such efforts are not likely to resultin breaking into rankings regardless of theeducational quality achieved.

Advantages of a Rating SystemUsing our multidimensional model ofprogramme quality content, we believe wehave built the foundation for the developmentof an educational rating system (akin toConsumer Reports). Such a system wouldoffer some key advantages over rankings,including:

Multidimensionality: Ratings systems allowfor depictions of “quality profiles” acrossschools. Stakeholders could evaluate thefull breadth of quality, applying their own

weightings to what matters most for them.And ratings are by nature compensatory,meaning that the quality dimensionsprogrammes choose to emphasise willbe more clearly depicted.

Focus on important differences (and similarities): Programmes that are notsubstantially different in terms of qualityratings can be treated as functionallyequivalent. Actual differences would bemore clearly highlighted across qualitycriteria while taking certain “baseline”

information (e.g., accreditation) into account. Improvement of transparency:Rating systemsare not limited to an arbitrary “best set” ofinstitutions, which allows for differences toemerge across a wide swath of programmes.This transparency is not present in rankingstoday. No longer would debates be structuredaround whether or not a school ranked 15th isreally different than the school ranked 19th.

Reduction in “gaming” educational rankings:A rating system is likely to reduce thedysfunctional behavior involved in chasing

or manipulating the most heavily weightedcriteria in media rankings.

Ironically then,reputation representsthe factor least sensitiveto institutional changeefforts yet is the very

factor driving mostmedia rankings

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FURTHER INFORMATION

(Re)Defining MBA Program Quality: Toward a Comprehensive Model by Robert S.Rubin and Erich C. Dierdorff of DePaul University and Frederick P. Morgeson ofMichigan State University was funded by a 2010 research grant from GMAC’s

Management Education Research Institute

Further, a rating system would more clearly highlightdistinctiveness in programmes. Distinctivenessencourages schools to invest in their strengths and servetheir mission more fully; whereas rankings encourageschools to chase the same small set of heavily weightedcriteria regardless of their educational mission. A ratingsystem would make it perfectly apparent when schoolspossess equivalent levels of quality on any given criteria;

whereas a rank, by its very nature, forces even the mostminiscule of differences to appear significant.

Although a rating system could be used to establish widebands of schools who achieve certain levels of quality(e.g., “Tier 1” schools), the number of schools able toachieve such levels is not limited. Under a rating system,the number of schools able to achieve different qualitylevels is limited only by an institution’s own efforts andaccomplishments.

Because ratings aren’t concerned with declaring awinner, the end result is a system that provides flexibility,

transparency, and increased usability to all stakeholders.Given the hundreds of schools worldwide who havealready achieved high standards in educational quality,it’s hard to see the value of endorsing ranking systemsthat obscure rather than illuminate important distinctionsbetween programmes. For example, media rankings giverecruiters limited information regarding the quality ofthe curricula and whether students actually learn theknowledge and skills purported to be trained by theprogramme. A rating system would better serve allbusiness school stakeholders by providing this type ofdetailed information that can truly shape decision making,within and outside business schools.

Despite these promises, we recognise that many peoplewill prefer a system that declares winners and losers,no matter how incomplete the data driving it. Althoughno comprehensive alternatives to ranking and ‘leaguetables’ currently exist, over time, consumers are likelyto embrace a system based on ratings

With this in mind, we firmly believe it is no longer viable tostand on the sidelines, while inadequate systems dictateconversations of business school quality. Instead, we needto apply the general philosophy of rigorous and evidence-based decision-making that we so often espouse in schools

of business.It is time to take accountability seriously.

From Rankings to Ratings by Robert S. Rubin, Eric C. Dierdorff, and Fredrick P. Morgeson

It is time to takeaccountability seriously

73%Only 9% of policy-makersendorsed the idea thatmedia rankings provide“good measures” of overallquality, yet 73% reportedthat their institutions payclose attention to ranking

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In 2007, in a booming global economy,Siemens was in troubled waters. Theindustrial giant was facing a global

corruption scandal which would cost thecompany 3 2.5 billion in fines and lawyers'and accountants' fees (The Guardian 2008).Peter Loescher was hired as the new CEO toclean up the company. He was the first topexecutive in the 162-year history to join fromthe outside. Today, Siemens is a role modelin Dow Jones’ sustainability world index,and one of the top five in the 2010 Hay GroupBest Companies for Leadership survey.

So what is the Siemens transformation story?The EFMD CLIP Sharing Best Practice

Workshop at the Siemens Global LeadershipCenter in Feldafing near Munich on 7October 2011 provided rich insights. Four keysuccess factors for transforming a globalorganisation were highlighted anddiscussed:

Andrew Rutsch explains how a recent EFMD CLIP workshop shedded light on Siemens’ transformationfrom troubled company to role model. Andrew Rutschexplains how Corporate Learning played a key role inthis strategic renewal.

BustingBoundaries......to Accelerate Business

Transformation:The SiemensTransformation Story

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43EFMD Global Focus | Volume 06 | Issue 01 2012Busting Boundaries to Accelerate Business Transformation – The Siemens Transformation Story by Andrew Rutsch

Factor 1

Getting the right people

on the bus

New blood was injected toheal the patient. Within ashort time frame Loescherchanged 90% of the Group’smanagement board, 70% ofthe second tier and 50% ofthe third management level.Overall, 1,000 leadershippositions were filled withexternal and internal talent.Loescher took the crisis as

an opportunity to changethe leadership team andleadership culture in order tospearhead the transformationof the company.

Factor 2

Strengthening collaboration

The One Siemens strategy,assuming the whole is morethan the sum of its parts,is another key factor. Thefirm moved to a sector basedstructure bringing products,know-how and peopletogether across bordersto create solutions thatmeet the needs of hospitals,cities, and so forth. All 90

direct reports of themanagement board areassessed and incentivised forhow well they and the entitiesthey oversee collaboratewith each other horizontally.Traditional incentive systemsover-reward results,while Siemens recognisescollaboration as a keymeans to the end.

Factor 3

Strategic decisions based

on an outside-in view

The renewed leadership teamhad to make tough decisions.For example, the railbusiness was turned aroundwithin one year, taking anoutside-in view looking athow automotive producerswork and mobilising theemployees in the changeprocess. Similarly, Somatom,a new computer tomography

generation developed by anengineer in China, playeda key role in boostinginnovation in the healthcarebusiness. Today,it is a blockbuster and exported acrossthe world. Also, patients werebrought in to meet withemployees, to change theview that their mission wasnot to develop technology,but to help cure patients.

Factor 4

Speed, speed, speed

The crisis Siemens wasfacing called for a decisiveresponse and course ofaction. The firm realised thatif it did not learn faster thanthe speed of change in itsenvironment, it would notsurvive. Today, current andfuture leaders at Siemens aresystematically assessed ontheir ability to learn, capability

and ambition. As a result,change leadership and speedin execution have becomecritical attributes of aneffective leader at Siemens.

PICTURED:The world’s first series hybrid electric planeDA36 E-Star

Quiet and efficient, the aircraft's flight is drivenby a small combustion engine and just one Siemenselectric motor.

P H O T G R A P H

C O U R T E S Y O F S I E M E N S

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The role of Corporate Learning

Siemens Leadership Excellence (SLE) andCorporate Development Executive Affairs (CDEA) are two key actors in this transformationprocess. SLE is part of HR and works veryclosely with CD EA that directly reports intoLoescher. As a result, the development reviewand direction of key leaders and successorsfacilitated through CD EA is at the top of theCEO agenda. SLE provides the platform toconnect and develop them through Siemens’global leadership center in Feldafing or outin the regions. SLE and CD EA collaborate

to bundle forces in order to better supportSiemens’ transformation, and as suchreinforce on the organisational level whatleaders in the business are asked to do.

In contrast, the traditional focus in CorporateLearning is lesser on the organisational level.It directly works with and helps developleaders to contribute to businesstransformation, which is the space where ithas been socialised in and has most controlover. While this model has strong merits indeveloping leadership at the individual and

team level, it lacks collaboration with otherkey actors in the firm that also have a stakein organisational transformation such ascorporate development, operations and R&D.Joining forces across borders in order toaccelerate business transformation impliesCorporate Learning leaving its comfort zone- as also applies to the rest of the Siemensbusiness.

A lot of innovationhappens at the

periphery of the firm

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Accelerating Business Transformation

The Siemens story essentially highlights howkey stakeholders are brought together acrossvertical and horizontal boundaries toco-create and accelerate the continuous andsustainable transformation of the company(Rutsch 2012) , in which SLE and CD EA playa key role. Horizontal collaboration acrossentities involves internal and externalstakeholders such as clients or patients.Vertical collaboration across levels, forinstance, involves employees in the changeprocess or elevating a local solution such as

Somatom to the global level.Indeed, practice shows that a lot of innovationhappens at the periphery of the firm throughsales and technical personnel which areclosest to clients and suppliers (e.g., Gulati2007). Thus, both running the machine andacting on early signs in the environmentrequires firms to dynamically manage thebottom-up flow of new ideas and top-downexecution through multi-directionalcollaboration (Rutsch 2012) – so the firm doesnot have to wait until its leadership realises

the need for change such as at Siemensin 2007 when investors and media werehammering the company to make changes.

Hence, the Siemens story encouragesCorporate Learning to increase its roleas a partner to the business, by facilitatinghorizontal and vertical collaboration betweenkey stakeholders across boundaries in orderto drive the co-creation and thus accelerationof the continuous transformation of the firm(Rutsch 2012).

Busting boundaries to accelerate businesstransformation – the latest EFMD CLIPSharing Best Practice Workshop with theSiemens transformation story providedmuch inspiration for taking a more dedicatedattempt in this direction.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Andrew Rutsch is Co-Founder and the Academic Facilitatorof the EFMD Learning Business Partner Special InterestGroup. He is a PhD candidate at the University of St. Gallenand consultant to Capgemini University and is currently

writing a case study with IMD on Capgemini University’s roleand impact in business transformation.

Busting Boundaries to Accelerate Business Transformation – The Siemens Transformation Story by Andrew Rutsch

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U S I N G

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47EFMD Global Focus | Volume 06 | Issue 01 2012Using “action strategy” to transform a business school by George Yip

Professors of strategy and organisationbehaviour teach that strategictransformation is best done through aformal programme involving many people inthe organisation. But in seeking to transformRotterdam School of Management, ErasmusUniversity, The Netherlands, from a primarilyacademic orientation to one that also valuesengagement with business, George Yip, anew dean brought in from outside, rejected

a formal approach. Instead he successfullyapplied an “action strategy”.

As a long-time professor of strategy andformer management consultant, I havetaught, researched and applied programmesof strategic transformation. So when itbecame my turn to actually put this intopractice as a dean, I rejected a formalprogramme of change in favour of what I nowcall “action strategy”. I realised that mostfaculty members resist change, and thata formal change process would generate

a lot of talk and disagreement rather thanaction. Furthermore, as both an outsiderand a foreigner, I doubted my ability to rapidlyachieve change through persuasion in anational culture renowned for its emphasison consensus gained through longdiscussions. I also had limited time, with afour-year contract before I would reach themandatory retirement age. So I decided tobegin a programme of strategic actions that,while not secret, did not involve muchdiscussion or approval. I would not start by

trying to change people's views, but workinstead on their behaviour. Richard Pascale,then of Stanford Business School, said: “Itis easier to act your way into a better way ofthinking than to think your way into a betterway of acting.”

In thinking about the transformation processthat we advocate for companies I noted threekey differences between business andacademia.

First, in business, organisation memberscan be rallied around the common objectiveof financial performance. In academia thereis no common objective. Indeed, the mostimportant disagreements in business schools

are about what should be the objectives.

Second, in business, the leaders of thetransformation effort usually have a largenumber of sticks and carrots to motivatealignment, including firing and promotion. Inacademia, the person most at risk of beingfired is the dean. Indeed, during my years asDean of RSM, three new deans of other topEuropean business schools were all forcedto resign within two years or less of theirappointments. Third, even more thanin companies, academia poses manyinstitutional barriers to change. In addition,most organisational rituals and day-to-dayroutines reinforce an orientation to academicconcerns rather than to engagement withbusiness.

So, what was the context? When I arrived asDean in January 2008, RSM was a very largeschool: about 175 faculty, 175 other staff, 75PhD students, 7,500 other students, and 20different degree programmes. The Schoolwas also complex. There were two separate

legal entities, one of which was public andone private, and each occupying differentbuildings. These two entities had beenmerged only four years before. The publicentity held all the regular faculty, and theBSc, MSc and PhD programmes. The private

RICHARD PASCALE

It is easier to act yourway into a better wayof thinking than to

think your way intoa better way of acting

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entity, RSM BV, hosted the MBA, EMBA, andexecutive education programmes, and had itsown supervisory board, chaired by a formerchief executive of Unilever. The public entityalso had eight separate departments withvery powerful department chairs. Specifically,each department had its own profit and lossaccount and reserve.

I had agreed a number of four-year objectiveswith the University board. These included:growing the revenues for executive educationand the MBA and EMBA programmes, movingup in the various rankings, raising money(which had not been done before), improvingthe connection to business, and increasingmedia coverage, while maintaining thealready excellent level of academicresearch and the high standing of thebachelor and MSc programmes. It isimportant to understand that I had been

given these objectives by ErasmusUniversity, so I did not feel the need todiscuss them with the RSM faculty. I wantedto avoid having these objectives questioned atthe very start. Furthermore, I needed only afew of the “willing” to start implementingstrategic actions.

Key Strategies to Achieve the Objectives

Most of the teaching in the private part, morethan 80%, was delivered by external faculty.Therefore, a key objective was to greatlyincrease the level of integration betweenthe public and private parts of the school.To do this I became highly involved in themanagement of RSM BV, so much so thatthe then separate Dean of RSM BV told methat there was not room for both of us. Hesoon left for a better job elsewhere. I thenconvinced both the Chairman of theSupervisory Board and the President of theUniversity that we did not need to replacehim and that I would play this role. To offsetthat I made the new Vice Dean responsiblefor faculty. The new Vice Dean, who had

been the most widely supported andrespected of the existing department chairs,became an indispensable partner in my

journey, Mr. Inside to my Mr. Outside. Indeed,I view one of our best achievements as hissuccession as Dean after my retirement.

Another objective was to change the mind setand behaviour of the faculty to recognise thatpublishing in academic outlets was necessarybut not sufficient for us to be a top businessschool. When I arrived, only 1% of the 300publications a year were in managerial

journals and these were not top ones. Iinstituted a reward programme by which

faculty who published in the top managerial journals, such as Harvard Business Review ,would receive a cash bonus of up to 1 15,000.I also brought in editors from such journals tohelp train the faculty in how to write for these

journals. I sent out congratulatory e-mailswhen faculty got acceptances in such journalsbut I did not send out congratulations foracceptances in academic ones. Also, to helpfaculty understand the difference between anacademic article and a managerial one, welaunched RSM Insight, a quarterly that had a

journalist rewrite selected academic articlesby the faculty into two-page summaries formanagerial audiences. Over time more andmore faculty did indeed submit and getaccepted in managerial outlets.

Perhaps the most important transformationoccurred in our research institute. RSM hasthe strictest publication requirement of anyschool I know. Even full professors have tokeep up a number of publications in ranked

journals in order to preserve research time.From day one I tried to persuade the director

of research that the top managerial journals,Harvard, Sloan, and California should haveequal status with top academic journals incounting toward faculty members’ status forrelease from teaching. By the end of mytenure, the research director upgraded thestatus of these top three managerial journals.This was one of my finest farewell gifts!

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Additional Action Strategies

There were many other individual actionstrategies:

– The finance faculty objected to me tellingthem that academic publications alone didnot have direct impact on practice. Ratherthan arguing this out, I organised events withpractitioners that involved the finance faculty.

Indeed, the best event was one that I initiatedbut which they organised themselves, and ledto their greater recognition of the need toengage with executives.

– I revived the Advisory Board, whichconsisted of top executives from differentcompanies, by engaging them in real debateabout current issues facing the school. ThenI also brought in key faculty to present to theBoard – a great way to stimulate engagementwith practice.

– Not only did I spend significant time on fundraising, but I also involved individual faculty,which again demonstrated the importance ofengagement with business. We succeeded inraising over 1 2 million in a national cultureunfamiliar with educational philanthropy.

– I created the position of Director ofCorporate and Alumni Relations. I added thisdirector and the Director of Marketing to theManagement Team, the top managementbody. We communicated to faculty that thealumni are key stakeholders.

– The Director of Marketing launched a newsocial media campaign, that had faculty, staffand students create personal, action orientedstatements: “I WILL …..”

– Executive education was an activity withlimited participation by regular faculty.I brought in a new director, and togetherwe worked to convince the faculty of thebenefits to them, both financial and interms of learning, of more involvement.

– Faculty had not paid much attention to

rankings. Whenever a new ranking cameout, I sent an email explaining what hadhappened, and stressed the link from higherrankings to more revenues to greater supportfor research. This heightened attention helpedus improve in a number of rankings,culminating in the Financial Times metaranking of No. 6 in Europe in late 2010.

A New Business Model

The reverse sequence of changing actionsbefore attitudes culminated in a process todevelop a new business model. This processdid not start until 2.5 years into my tenure.The advantage of this delay was that, by thetime we came to discuss how to get thefaculty more connected to the corporate

world and how to better integrate the publicand private parts of the school, both facultyand staff had seen that some of this could bedone. So they were much more willing to domore. By the end of my tenure I was able tofeel that I had lived up to the Nike slogan:“Just do it.” And the School had a very healthysurplus and reserve.

Using “action strategy” to transform a business school by George Yip

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

George Yip is Emeritus Dean, Rotterdam School ofManagement Erasmus University; Professor of Managementand Co-Director, Centre on China Innovation, China EuropeInternational Business School; and Visiting Professor, ImperialCollege Business School.

[email protected]

Academia posesmany institutionalbarriers to change

¤2m We succeeded in raising over¤2 million in a national culture

unfamiliar with educational

philanthropy

6Increased attention to

rankings culminated in a

Financial Times meta rankingof No. 6 in Europe in late 2010

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Stephanie Hussels describes how Cranfield uses case study writing as a means of integrating research, teaching,and practice on the MBA course

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51EFMD Global Focus | Volume 06 | Issue 01 2012Case by Case by Stephanie Hussels

The Bettany Centre for Entrepreneurship atCranfield School of Management wasfounded in 2006 and named after TimBettany, Cranfield MBA alumnus andserial entrepreneur, who endowed a Chair

of Entrepreneurship at the School ofManagement. The Centre has now developeda diverse portfolio of entrepreneurialactivities across five broad areas:internationally recognised research,graduate programmes, networking events,technology transfer, and executive education.

This article describes how executive educationand graduate programmes have been linkedat Cranfield, to the benefit of bothentrepreneurs and students. The executiveeducation portfolio, Exhibit 1, covers the

entire entrepreneurial life cycle from start-up,growth, to harvest and exit. The flagshipprogramme of the executive portfolio isthe Business Growth Programme (BGP),the longest running programme for thedevelopment of owner-managers in the UK.It has been running with great success fornearly 25 years and has helped more than1,250 owner-managers achieve their businessand personal ambitions.

Around a quarter of Cranfield MBA studentsare personally involved in venturing within

10 years of graduation. Keeping this in mind,the MBA entrepreneurship elective coversthe entire entrepreneurial life cycle. Duringthe course MBA students are challengedto learn both sides of the entrepreneurialprocess by evaluating a venture from aninvestor’s point of view, as well as gettingfirst-hand experience by developing theirown business plan, which they then haveto pitch to real investors at the end of theelective. To enhance the practical aspectsof the elective, case studies are employed

throughout the course. The cases are basedon businesses well known to us. As aconsequence, Cranfield entrepreneurshipfaculty have written numerous case studiesover the years (see for examples Exhibit 2).In addition, case study writing has been

incorporated on the MBA entrepreneurshipelective, allowing students to write a casestudy and accompanying teaching notes as analternative to writing their own business plan.

How does it work?

Prior to the elective we identify businessesthat have come through our executiveportfolio and that might create a good case.Then in the outline session of the electivewe briefly introduce the students to theoptions. Once the course kicks off they haveto form teams of up to five students to workon their case study and teaching notes.

Students can also use their own contacts toidentify firms and secure company accessshould they wish. To help them with theprocess, we run a session explaining theclassic structure of a case study and theprocess of setting-up and writing a casestudy and the teaching notes. Good writing

conventions are highlighted. We also discusstypical issues around entrepreneurship andnew venture creation that they might want tokeep in mind when thinking about the focus oftheir case study. Moreover, we ask the MBAstudents what, in their opinion, makes a casestudy excellent. These points are collectedon the board and kept as a reminder for twoworkshops where each team has to presentwork in progress to the whole class. To helpthe students understand the companybackground and focus on a core issue, themain emphasis of the first workshop lies

on the case study itself, whereas the secondworkshop requires them to review thetheory covered on the course and present theaccompanying teaching notes. Exhibit 3provides some of the questions raised duringprevious workshops. The students arrangecompany visits and discussions with theentrepreneur and key company staff to gainall the necessary insights.

Once the case study and teaching notes aresubmitted for assessment, the MBA teamsusually present their final version to thecompany. Following this, the best studentcases are then worked up by faculty beforesubmitting them to the European CaseClearing House (ECCH), academic journals,and case study competitions such as theannual EFMD case writing competition.

2006The year the Bettany Centrefor Entrepreneurship

at Cranfield School of

Management was founded

25The Business Growth

Programme (BGP), going

for nearly 25 years is the

longest running programmefor the development of

owner-managers in the UK...

1250... and to date has helped

more than 1,250 owner-

managers achieve their

business and personalambitions

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What are the benefits for all parties involved?

Students gain a number of benefits fromdoing case study writing on the MBAentrepreneurship elective. Researching thecompany history, structure, and processesand subsequently writing the case study andteaching notes are an excellent tool of testingthe understanding of relevant economic andmanagement theory, and connect theory withpractice. In particular, the creation of teachingnotes requires students to reflect on theimportant learning points, thereby helpingthem to understand and assess choices madeby the key parties involved and then link themback to the underlying theories covered in theclass. With most MBA students coming froma corporate background, case study writingprovides them with very valuable insights intothe running of an entrepreneurial venture.Moreover, writing case studies and teachingnotes forces students to make decisions withthe available (most times limited) information,and allows students to step into the shoes ofthe entrepreneur and discuss ‘real’ businessissues. It enables learning by doing.Additionally, the assessment gives students

exposure to another business and providesthem with something for their CV, especiallyif the case study is published in the ECCHor an academic journal. By dealing withthe entrepreneur, presenting their workin progress in class during the workshopsto gain feedback from other ‘customers’,it helps students to develop interpersonaland soft skills, time management, andcommunication.

Even though taking part requires time

commitment from businesses – usually twoto three visits from the students – the processalso produces several benefits for thebusinesses and entrepreneurs. For example,the businesses and entrepreneurs gainexposure among students to attract talents forthe business. In the case of Cobalt TelephoneTechnologies, Joanna Miller, the lead full-timeMBA student, subsequently joined thebusiness and now is the managing director ofthe company. Once completed, the case studyoften also creates a good basis for internaltraining and induction purposes. Moreover,

the entrepreneurs are regularly invited backto Cranfield when covering the case studiesin the classroom. On the one hand theentrepreneurs feel that they can contributeto education by sharing their experienceswith the students, on the other hand throughthe discussions in the classroom theentrepreneurs gain new insights andperspectives from talking to faculty andstudents. Businesses that took part inprogrammes often see it as a privilege tocome back and be involved with the school.

Tristram Mayhew, 'Chief Gorilla', of theGoApe! company stated ‘The CranfieldBusiness Growth Programme helped metake my business to the next stage. To havea case study written by Cranfield on thebusiness is an honour and has proven verybeneficial for internal training purposes’. Also,companies can gain exposure throughpublications and case writing competitions.

Exhibit 1:

The Bettany Centre Executive Education portfolio

Writing case studiesand teaching notes

forces students to makedecisions with theavailable information,and allows studentsto step into the shoes ofthe entrepreneur anddiscuss ‘real’ businessissue

CUSTOMISED PROGRAMMES

ASPIRINGENTREPRENEURS

UPSTART

BGPBUSINESSGROWTHPROGRAMME

BGPRELATED

PROGRAMME

VALUE FORUM:

HARVEST & EXIT

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr Stephanie Hussels is a lecturer in entrepreneurship atCranfield School of Management, UK.

FURTHER INFORMATION

For more information on the Bettany Centre please visit www.cranfield.ac.uk/som/bettany

Case by Case by Stephanie Hussels

In 2002, Robert Brown and David Molian

were awarded the EFMD case writing prizefor their study of Hotel Chocolat, a Sunday

Times Fast Track 100 company that attendedthe Business Growth Programme in 2000.That success was repeated with theIViewCameras case in 2005 and yet againin 2009 with Pacific Direct. In 2009, thecase study GoApe!, written by David Molianand Stephanie Hussels, also won theEFMD case writing competition in thecategory entrepreneurship.

Conclusion

Incorporating case study writing into the MBAcurriculum is an excellent way to integrateresearch, teaching, and practice. It is as suchvery much in line with the ethos of CranfieldSchool of Management of transformingknowledge into action. It benefits all partiesinvolved – and it is fun, too!

Exhibit 2:

Case studies: participating businesses

Case Study

What is the history of the business?

Is there a core issue or set of issues?

Does the case study have genuinely

alternative outcomes?

Does the case study have enough

information available to work through

the alternative outcomes?

Does the case provide a voyage of discovery

and even some interesting surprises?

Is it accurate , unbiased and

non-judgemental?

Is the case study well structured and easy

to follow?

Teaching Notes

What are the learning objectives

of the case study?

How do these objectives relate to theory?

Who is the target audience?

What is the structure of the classroom

session?

What is the suggested teaching approach?

Are there any additional resources for the

case study?

Case study writing is very much in

line with the ethos of Cranfield Schoolof Management of transformingknowledge into action. It benefits all parties involved – and it is fun, too!

Persuasiveness of the team

Quality of presentation slides

Others

Exhibit 3:

Workshop criteria

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Lin Squires and ElmarHusmann show the significantgap between the perceptionand reality of Open Education

Modern history contains many examplesof industries that failed to see the signsof major disruption early enough for largeand well-respected institutions to avoidpainful damage to their businesses. Themusic industry marginalised Internet filesharing to its own considerable cost, and therise of Open Source happened despite theinitial opposition of the software industry.

Earlier this year ELIG (European LearningIndustry Group) surveyed over 80 differentorganisations from the learning industryand higher education to understand thecommercial hesitation for the adoptionof Open Education. ELIG was left with theview that to not proactively engage with openeducation, its production, use and practicescould present a serious threat to thesustainability of many players in thecurrent learning market.

Our study shows there is a significant gapbetween the perception and reality of whatOpen Education already does and could mean

for the Learning Industry. Any institution witha stake holding in the provision of learningas content, services or products shouldunderstand what Open Education is and itsrelated concepts of Open Educational Services(OES), Resources (OER) and Practices (OEP).

There is clear evidence that Open Educationis a steadily growing phenomenon in thelearning world and the initiatives already inplace are considered successful. What’s more,they have made a real difference to the waypeople find knowledge, learn and develop

within formal education, workplace learningor through informal learning.

Closing

gap

theThe future has already arrived. It’s just not evenly distributed yet William Gibson

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55EFMD Global Focus | Volume 06 | Issue 01 2012Closing the gap byLin Squires and Elmar Husmann

Examples of Open Educational Resources

In 2000 the Nupedia project was founded byJimmy Wales and Larry Sanger as a platformfor peer-reviewed expert articles licensed asOER. Wikipedia was created in 2001 as a sideproject to allow collaboration on Nupediaarticles. In 2003, Wikipedia UK had alreadyover 100.000 articles. In 2011, Wikipedia UKpassed the 3.6 million mark and became theworld’s 7th most popular website.

In 2001 the Massachusetts Institute

of Technology, MIT, initiated its OpenCourseware Initiative (OCW) and startedto subsequently release all MIT’s coursematerial as OER. Now in 2011, the MITOCW includes material from over 2000courses which is estimated to be sharedby 100 million learners worldwide – andfurther strengthening the MIT brand andimpact globally.

Apart from the most well-knownexamples, such as the MIT OCW andWikipedia, our survey has revealed more

than 25 leading Open Education initiatives.The recent Open Educational QualityInitiative has collected and analysed58 further cases. Academia is currentlythe source of most of these and also themost consistent users of OER, contributingtime, content and some funding. Manycommercial organisations regard thisheritage as a reason in itself for dismissingOpen Education for their area of themarket. However Open Education holdsthe key to as many opportunities for

profit-based companies as it does fornon-profit organisations.

WHAT IS OPEN EDUCATION?

OPEN EDUCATION IS:

“... the free and open access to, the usage of and

the right to modify and re-use digital open

educational resources and digital educational

tools, and the free and open access to the related

virtual educational communities, in order to

learn, teach, exchange or advance knowledge

in a collaborative and interactive way.”

The How and Why of Open Education,Collaborative Creativity Group at UNU-MERIT:

http://tinyurl.com/43q6g5t

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This is not just a question of options – ourindustry is also confronted with the needsof a new generation of learners that havegrown up with collaborative learning, socialnetworking and social working schemes.The impressive numbers of participantsin OE initiatives, such as more than 100million learners that share MIT OpenCourseware OERs, speak for themselves.

Parallels are often drawn between theevolution of Open Source Software andOpen Education. There are indeed somesimilarities including a founding convictionthat collaborative development of openresources is a most powerful way. However,the ‘Open’ in Open Education is not justabout licensing and development. It is alsoabout content, its quality, its provenanceand its specific didactic context.

Unlike the governance in Open Sourceprojects, there is no organisved moderation

authority in Open Education overseeinghow the parts relate to the whole. Ratherthere are governance mechanisms toensure quality aspects of the diverse openresources, such as peer reviewing. Thishas allowed users to gain benefit and learnfrom individual open resources but it hasnot allowed for structured study programsthat would lead to formal degrees orsystematic improvement of skills andcompetences. Hence, Open Educationinitiatives mostly show a balance towards

OER and predominantly self-directedlearning and only more recently have we

Figure 1:

Potential OE/OER learning market value chain

SOLUTIONS

SERVICES

CONTENT

INFRASTRUCTURE

TECHNOLOGYPLATFORM

DELIVERYINDUSTRIES:

SUPPORTINGINDUSTRIES:

CORPORATE– PRIVATE SECTOR

GOVT. &PUBLIC SECTOR

EDUCATIONHIGH. & FURTHER

EDUCATIONK12

EDUCATIONVOCATIONAL

INFORMAL& LIFELONG

ORGANISATIONALLY ORIGINATED OE/OER MADE AVAILABLE

OE/OER STANDARDS ESTABLISHED & EMBEDDED

INTEGRATION OF OE/OERINTO ESTABLISHED

TOOLS & PLATFORMS

OE/OER COMPLIMENTARY VALUE-ADDED PRODUCTS & SERVICES

CONTENT SUPPLIERS INTEGRATING OER INTO THEIR ESTABLISHED PORTFOLIOS AS WELLAS IDENTIFYING THOSE EXISTING PRODUCTS THEY COULD TRANSFER TO THE OER

PAID FOR ASSESMENT SERVICES

T h e ‘ O p e n’ i n O p e

nE d u c a t i o n i s n o t j u s t a b o u t

l i c e n s i n g

a n d d e v e l o p m e n t –

i t i s a l s o a b o u t c o n t e n t , i t s q u

a l i t y , i t s

p r o v e n a n c e a n d i t s s p e c i f i c d i d a c t i c c o n t e x t

seen examples of entire courses being conducted as OpenEducation. ELIG itself has recently partnered in the pilotingof such an open course on Business and ManagementCompetencies in a Web 2.0 world with multiple providersorganised by the United Nations University (http://www.open-ed.eu/index.php).

Within the current distribution pattern of Open Education liesthe key to its fragility and the source of enormous opportunity.Open Education will further flourish as a component of adiverse ecosystem of players and with a range of activity inplace to create value for all stakeholders – producers andusers. In this context, motivation and funding are essential.

In fact, many of the current initiatives are linked to singularsources of funding or closely tying to an institution. TheELIG study showed that respondents believed that OpenEducation and also the production of OER was only possiblein Europe because University grants, Foundations, NationalGovernments and the European Commission offer primarysources of funding.

Funding and grants are important in the world of OpenSource Software as well – but here these are primarily

private funds from commercial entities. This indicatesa reciprocal commercial interest.

Funding sources of Open Source

– The Mozilla Foundation benefits from over 1 75m of yearlygrants and distributes funding to many projects in theOSS world. A large donor to Mozilla has been Google.

– Alternative support-models in the OSS world are donationsof code from commercial projects and donations ofdeveloper time. An example for this is IBM that donateslarge developer capacities to Linux.

– Moodle is largely supported by the Open University.

7/24/2019 Volume 06 _ Issue 01 2012


57EFMD Global Focus | Volume 06 | Issue 01 2012Closing the gap byLin Squires and Elmar Husmann

Commonsense tells us that the reliance on public fundingfor Open Education is a difficult model to sustain in thecurrent European economic climate. The creation ofmutually beneficial partnering models with the LearningIndustry is needed.

However, with the exception of some isolated examples there

are no business and funding models, comparable to thoseseen in Open Source Software, to make Open Educationattractive to both the commercial sector and independentof public funds. The commercial viability of the practice ofopenness in education (OEP) is already evident in the successof learning management tools such as Moodle. Moodle isfundamentally an open-source software solution but also thebasis for many open educational practices and commerciallyvery successful. By 2011 it was used in 214 countries and byclose to 45 million users. The wide support for open standardsby learning platform and technology providers is furtherunderlining the commercial viability of Open Education

Practices. Here further lesson can be learnt from Open SourceSoftware – that being open to new ways, new business modelsand new services will ultimately generate sufficient fundsto be sustainable without funding donations.

So the practice of Open Education and the use of OER areadvancing; however the development of business models andnew forms of public-private partnership are lagging behind.

Viable business models which will drive Open Educationinto a new level of maturity cannot be achieved by just apredominantly academic community who have drivenOpen Education forward to date on their own. They simply

do not have the resources to take Open Education to thenext level. Open Education cannot develop without a realengagement from the remainder of the learning industry,which includes the commercial sector. At the same timethe commercial learning industry cannot afford to ignorethe force of Open Education that is so strongly aligned topeople’s preferences for learning styles in today’s world.Governmental agencies would do better to provide access toventure capital to seed new innovations and sustainablemodels for Open Education than simply funding individualprojects over a limited lifespan. There is in addition a riskfor incumbent players of the learning market that new

entrants, such as social networking providers, generalInternet service providers and content platforms, will shake

S o t h e p r a c t i c e o f O p e nE d u c a t i o n a n d t h e u s e o f OE R a r e a d v a n c i n g ;

h o w e v e

r t h e d e v e l o p m e n t o f b u s i n e s s

m o d e l s a n d n e w f o r m s o f p u b l i c -

p r i v a t e

p a r t n e r s h i p a r e l a g g i n g b e h i n d

up the learning market and use OpenEducational practices as their baseline.Already over 10 million students are usingfree Google Apps for Education forcommunication and collaboration and thereare more than 350,000 files of educational

audio and video content, free or at low costto internet users on iTunes U.

During our investigations of Open Educationwe saw huge enthusiasm, mixed with a senseof uncertainty for Open Education from theorganisations we surveyed.

It is risky for the commercial segments of thelearning industry to ignore Open Education.But more than that, Open Education alsoprovides an opportunity for the whole industryto create wide impact, innovate in relatedproducts and services and to address theneeds of new learner groups such as theInternet-savvy young generations. OpenEducation could become a predominantmodel of the future. Our industry shouldbetter be prepared to grasp opportunitiesand to actively shape this development.

214By 201 Moodle, an open-

source software solution

and also the basis for many

open educational practices

was used in 214 countries...

45m...and by 45 million users

ABOUT THE AUTH OR

Elmar Husmann is Deputy Secretary General of theEuropean Learning Industry Group (ELIG) and a Senior

Advisor on Innovation Policy and Management to IBM.

Dr Lin Squires is a Senior Advisor to the European LearningIndustry Group (ELIG) and to the Drucker Society of Europe.

7/24/2019 Volume 06 _ Issue 01 2012



: g

n c e

William M. Gribbons explains why, increasingly, leadingorganisations demand a balance of the user perspective

with the traditional focus on technology, and how businessschools can fulfil this need

Thirteen years ago, a group at BentleyUniversity recognised an opportunityto reconsider the relevance of human-technology interaction – the discipline knownas ‘Human Factors’ in business education.We saw technology slowly becoming a

commodity rather than a point of difference,and we sensed a growing dissatisfactionwith the return on investment for informationtechnology and its unexpectedly highlife-cycle costs. We recognised a contributingfactor to these conditions was the traditionalnarrow focus on the technology itself, andthe development community’s failure toproperly consider the needs and abilitiesof the end user or customer.

What emerged from this analysis was theneed for a new and comprehensive strategyfocused on the user experience, independentof whether this strategy is applied to aninternally facing IT system or to a productthat competes in the open market.

Traditionally, ‘Human Factors’ graduateprogrammes were most often affiliatedwith schools of engineering, or possiblypsychology. The programme at Bentleyis one of the largest in the world, and wechose to locate it in our school of business.

The reasons behind this thinking, and theimplications for the business community,

are two-fold:

1. In the development and implementationof information technology; business,regulatory, and technical requirementsmust now be balanced with the needs andabilities of the end user (the human factor).

2. For producers of commercial technologyproducts or technology-enabled services,competition is increasingly defined by thequality of the user/customer experiencein addition to the capabilities of the core

technology.

7/24/2019 Volume 06 _ Issue 01 2012


59EFMD Global Focus | Volume 06 | Issue 01 2012The Human Factor: the emerging user experience discipline by William M. Gribbons

The rules of the technology marketplace have changed, andbusiness schools must adapt accordingly. Although today’sbusiness organisation is increasingly built on the back ofcomplex IT infrastructures, business schools often questionthe role of information technology in the curriculum. Webelieve it is highly relevant in the business education

curriculum. However, business schools must complementour traditional focus on the strategic, technical, andmanagement aspects of IT with a significantly closerconsideration of the user of this technology – HumanFactors. The human factor is a consideration in productmanagement components of MBA programmes, as wellas in new technology product development and marketingcourses. A narrow focus on technology’s engineering andfunctionality is no longer adequate in today’s marketplace.

Changes in the market do not happen overnight. We havewitnessed a slow and steady migration from the narrow anddeep focus on technology and process of twenty-five years

ago, to an increasing attention to enhancing the usabilityof that technology in the 90s, to today’s increasinglysophisticated view of the user experience. Most ITorganisations and producers of commercial technology haveslowly evolved to meet these changing demands. Thisevolution has not minimised the importance of the technologyitself; instead, each stage builds on and adds value to the onethat preceded it. IT organisations that systematically align thedevelopment and implementation of new systems with theneeds and abilities of the user have lowered lifecycle costsby improving system acceptance, enhancing productivity,minimising errors, and reducing training/support costs. The

commercial marketplace for technology products has realisedsimilar benefits and gained a competitive advantage from adevelopment process focused more closely on the end user.

At Bentley University, we set out to create a model of the userexperience (UX) that meets the demands of today’s businesscommunity and the producers of technology and technology-enabled services. We adopted a trans-disciplinary approach,blending the best of business with the arts and sciences.We defined the user experience as the careful alignmentof human behaviors, needs, and abilities with the corebusiness value delivered through a product or service.Depending on context, this experience may have

psychological, cultural, physiological, or emotionalcomponents – most likely, a combination of the four. We

optimise this experience through the detailed study andassessment of “people” in the appropriate use environment.To avoid repeating the past mistakes of a narrow focus, theUX model carefully balances a user perspective with thegoals of the business, including technical and regulatoryrequirements. The model recognises that this balance

must shift based on the conditions and requirements ofa particular use environment.

In practice, this model guided the design of a new graduateprogramme and a research consulting center at BentleyUniversity. Key to our success has been our location in abusiness university. The educational experience is built ona strong foundation in human behavior, complemented byrigorous research methods needed to identify user andbusiness requirements, and culminating in the exploration ofa range of innovative design solutions. Some students focusexclusively on user experience research and design whilemany MBA candidates receive a dual degree in business and

human factors to pursue careers in product management. Atthe same time, we increasingly collaborate with marketingcolleagues, both at our institution and others, to explore theimplications of the user experience for their programmes. Inmany branded technology organisations,the user/customerexperience defines the brand itself.

Success is often measured in the academic community bythe placement of graduates. UX professionals with a deepknowledge of the user, an appreciation for the goals of thebusiness, and an understanding for the enabling potentialof technology are in great demand in information technologyand commercial development organisations. UX professionals

work alongside business analysts, IT project managers andproduct managers. Through their research and design efforts,a carefully orchestrated user experience has become asignificant point of differentiation for the world’s mostprogressive technology producers and leading businessorganisations. Time will tell what lies ahead for newtechnologies and how these changes are addressed inschools of business. We are confident that the role ofthe user experience will only grow in prominence.

This experience may have psychological, cultural, physiological, or emotional

components – most likely,a combination of the four

ABOUT THE AUT HOR

Dr. William M. Gribbons is Director, Master of Science in Human Factors inInformation Design, and Founder and Senior Consultant, Design and UsabilityCenter at the Bentley University – www.bentley.edu/

7/24/2019 Volume 06 _ Issue 01 2012



Upcoming events

EFMD 2012 | www.efmd.org/conferences

February 2012

2012 EFMD Meeting for Deans

& Directors General

DATES / VENUE

2-3 February / Nottingham, UK

THEME

What Deans are interested in...

HOST

Nottingham Business School,

Nottingham Trent University

Research Managers: Creating

Research Leadership in Europe

DATES / VENUE

8-9 February/ Brussels, Belgium

THEME

Creating Research Leadership in

Europe

HOST

EFMD

EFMD Higher Education

Research Conference

DATES / VENUE

14-15 February / Zürich,

Switzerland

THEME

Conjectures and Future Directions

HOST

The Lorange Institute of Business

March 2012

2012 EFMD-ESMT Symposium

DATES / VENUE

1-2 March / Berlin, Germany

THEME

The Future of Management

Education: The Underlying Issues

HOST

ESMT – European School of

Management and Technology

2012 EFMD Entrepreneurship

Conference

DATES / VENUE

5-6 March / Maastricht,

The Netherlands

THEME

Entrepreneurial Value Creation

in Businesses, Families and

Institutions. A view from

Educators, Researchers, Policy

makers and Entrepreneurs

HOST

Maastricht University, School

of Business and Economics

2012 EFMD Conference for

International, External &

Corporate Relations, PR,

Marketing, Communication

and Alumni professionals

DATES / VENUE

21-23 March / Riga, Latvia

THEMECreative approaches to External

Relations

HOST

RISEBA – Riga International

School of Economics and

Business Administration

March 2012

2012 EFMD MBA Conference

DATES / VENUE

28-30 March / Maastricht,

The Netherlands

THEME

2012 EFMD MBA Conference

HOST

Maastricht University School of

Business and Economics

May 2012

2012 EFMD Annual Conference

DATES / VENUE

13-15 May / Sophia Antipolis,

France

THEME

2012 EFMD Annual Conference

HOST

SKEMA Business School

June 2012

2012 EFMD Doctoral

programmes conference

DATES / VENUE

11-12 June / Cranfield, UK

THEME

Global trends and alternative

models

HOST

Cranfield School of Management

For more detailed information, please visit our website

www.efmd.org under conferences and learning groups

or email [email protected]

7/24/2019 Volume 06 _ Issue 01 2012


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R u e G a c h ar d 8 8 –B ox 3

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Dr Tony Kinder on selecting for success

DR TONY KINDER, DIRECTOR OF THE MBA PROGRAMME, UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH BUSINESS SCHOOLDR TONY KINDER, DIRECTOR OF THE MBA PROGRAMME, UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH BUSINESS SCHOOL

With over 400 years of teaching experience, the University of Edinburgh BusinessSchool is world renowned for its focus on leadership, innovation and best practice,

key principles of the Scottish Enlightenment. The Edinburgh MBA looks to the futureaddressing key business challenges through cutting edge research and informeddebate.

While our focus is on the individual and developing their true potential, The EdinburghMBA has a strong emphasis on collaboration and team work, a reflection of today’sglobal business needs. The success of our MBA is reflected in the career achievementsof our graduates, with our strong global network of alumni setting the business agendaaround the world.

Selecting the right students is of critical importance to us. That’s why the GMAT exam

is an integral part of our admissions process. With students attending The EdinburghMBA from across the globe, the GMAT offers effective selection and significant insightinto an applicant’s abilities.

At th U i it f Edi b h B i S h l d t t d t t b th

volume 06 _ issue 01 2012

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