lifelong learning. The school’s entrepreneurship fund provides comprehensive support for start-ups and helps them to grow rapidly. As many as 94 projects have been funded to the tune of CNY31.6 million ($4.4 million) over the past 10 years and have obtained external financing of CNY2.7 billion ($37.3 million). The Antai dean highlighted the importance of industry research to the school, featuring closer integration with industry, as well as the alignment of MBA education with enterprise partners and alumni. The incorporation of research content into courses covers a variety of subjects, including the automotive, cultural and smart energy sectors. Industry community courses and forums involve around 60 students in more than 20 industry research projects. There are now 31 research teams at the school, up from 25 in 2019; among their other achievements, they have compiled 208 reports and published 50 textbooks. Wrapping up his presentation, Chen turned to the challenges currently facing the business education sector. His list included the significance of having a demonstrable “value proposition”; the ‘new normal’ in terms of sustainable development and corporate social impact; the double- edged sword of technology, offering both opportunities and threats; the de-globalisation movement; and problems of our own making, such as research disconnected from practice and the use of outdated teaching materials. So, what actions can schools take? Chen had a number of compelling ideas to share: we must create diverse learning environments; take advantage of new technologies while limiting their disadvantages; focus on continuous quality improvement; keep crossing academic boundaries; embrace the university and the outside world; and invest in international partnerships (he referenced in particular the International Business School Shanghai Conference). “We must change ourselves before we can change the world”, concluded the Antai dean. Focus on learning David Bach, dean of innovation and programmes at IMD in Lausanne, began his talk on What executive education reveals about the future of the MBA by saying he believed the emphasis in business schools should be on learning rather than teaching. “We must focus on students and what they need to learn”, as he put it. The commonly held point of view is that the students are lucky to be here, said Bach, but he cautioned that schools need to turn this notion on its head and understand that they are in fact the fortunate ones. Schools are lucky to get access to the students’ time, as learners have lots of choice about where they decide to study. Bach outlined a 10-point approach: learning is a journey and must be tech-infused. It should also be data-driven and tailored to the individual, enabling personalisation
Fangruo Chen is proud of Antai’s part in the growth of China’s MBA offering
at scale. Other elements to factor in are that modes of learning must be deliberately varied, integrated and applied in terms of concepts such as business model innovation; digital transformation; change management; sustainable growth and inspired team leadership. The context is also important – think about how a person acts differently in various situations, for instance when with friends, family, their boss and so on, suggested the IMD dean. Educators should focus on “coaching not training”; in addition, the pedagogical experience must involve stackable credentials for lifelong learning – “Think Lego towers, not ivory, and how we can rebuild trust in higher education”, urged Bach. Lastly, it must be demonstrably impactful – “measure output, not input”. To achieve this, Bach offered four pieces of advice: firstly, promote governance that balances the interests of learners and faculty. Then perforate disciplinary silos to enable learner centricity and also break down organisational silos – especially in the context of a degree versus executive education – and invest in data gathering, measurement and analysis. He closed the session by repeating three little words for the business management sector to bear in mind: “impact, impact, impact”. Responsibility to the fore South Africa may be 10,000 kilometres away from London and some might complain of feeling disconnected, but it is the “economic heartbeat” of the Southern Africa region, engaging with multinational corporations and operating in a highly competitive space. So said Morris Mthombeni, dean of the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) at the University of Pretoria, at the start of his highly engaging presentation, entitled Navigating complexity through responsible leadership .
22 | Ambition JULY/AUGUST 2023
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