EDITOR’S LETTER
EDITORIAL Head of editorial Colette Doyle c.doyle@amba-bga.com Content editor Tim Banerjee Dhoul t.dhoul@amba-bga.com Art editor Yvette Beattie Sub-editor Heather Ford Insight, content and PR manager Ellen Buchan e.buchan@amba-bga.com CORPORATE Head of commercial relations Max Braithwaite m.braithwaite@amba-bga.com
Changing TIMES
e talk so much about learning in this publication that the concept of ‘unlearning’ initially sounds distinctly odd. However, it is the cornerstone of a compelling management theory propounded by IEDC-Bled school in Slovenia. Learning to ‘unlearn’ is an essential skill for the survival and transformation of organisations
In our feature on page 24, Professor Pierre Casse and researcher Elnura Irmatova discuss the best way to prepare leaders for the unknown challenges that lie ahead in the business world of tomorrow. They suggest that unlearning is a natural process that must be managed systematically and effectively for the sake of survival and transformation. The concept is also about deciding what kind of assumptions, values, behaviours and practices we need to keep and adjust – and which ones we must get rid of – in our organisations. It is about being ready to raise questions regarding our traditional way of seeing and understanding things. One example of this philosophy in action comes from technology behemoth Apple. There, unlearning opened the way for managers, designers and engineers to rethink and explore different beliefs related to the cell phone market, something that ultimately enabled the development of its cult product, the iPhone. It began, in the words of company co-founder the late Steve Jobs, with the team thinking that “cell phones sucked, they were terrible, just pieces of junk”; unlearning this perception made Apple the huge success story it is today. Another take on the kind of leaders that business schools should be producing is presented in our cover story, jointly contributed by the academic director at Inalde Business School at La Sabana university in Colombia, Ernesto Barrera, and the school’s academic quality co-ordinator, Cindy Pinzón Rios. They have penned a fascinating piece that imagines schools ‘oxygenising’ managers and entrepreneurs, so they become ‘the lungs’ for the humanisation of society through the cultivation of ethical values and good judgement. Enjoy the issue; we return in April with a feature on lifelong learning and digital education from Lille‑based grande école EDHEC, plus an interview with Rotterdam School of Management, which scooped the prize for Best Business School Partnership in the 2023 AMBA & BGA Excellence Awards.
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Colette Doyle , Editor, Ambition
THIS MONTH’S CONTRIBUTORS
Chief executive officer Andrew Main Wilson
Executive assistant to the CEO Sharon Sidaway s.sidaway@amba-bga.com ACCREDITATION ENQUIRIES accreditation@amba-bga.com
ERNESTO BARRERA DUQUE
PIERRE CASSE
ALAIN GOUDEY
ELNURA IRMATOVA
KERRY MCLAVERTY
ANN OLAZÁBAL
COBUS OOSTHUIZEN
CINDY PAOLA PINZÓN RIOS
DANIEL STRODE
Copyright 2023 by Association of MBAs and Business Graduates Association ISSN 2631-6382 All rights reserved. Material may not be reproduced without the permission of the publisher. While we take care to ensure that editorial is independent, accurate, objective and relevant for our readers, AMBA accepts no responsibility for reader dissatisfaction rising from the content of this publication. The opinions expressed and advice given are the views of individual commentators and do not necessarily represent the views of AMBA. Whenever an article in this publication is placed with the financial support of an advertiser, partner or sponsor, it will be marked as such. AMBA makes every opportunity to credit photographers but we cannot guarantee every published use of an image will have the contributor’s name. If you believe we have omitted a credit for your image, please email the editor.
Ambiti n
Ambition | MARCH 2023 | 7
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