Ambition is AMBA’s thought leadership magazine, offering regular insights into the challenges and trends that matter most in global management education
Ambiti n The monthly magazine of the Association of MBAs (AMBA) BE IN BRILLIANT COMPANY
Issue 62 APRIL 2023
A new era of partnership between man and machine The age of AI
THE TRANSFORMATION OF EDUCATION UPF Barcelona School of Management on how to undertake the process of metamorphosis
WAITING FOR THE NEXT BIG BANG Edhec expounds on embracing digital innovation and student-driven learning
COLLABORATIONS AND CONNECTIONS Rotterdam School of Management on the power of partnering with the business community
AMBA & BGA Central Asia Forum
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AMBA & BGA is hosting its very first Central Asia Forum for business schools located in the region.
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Issue 62 | APRIL 2023
NEWS & INS IGHT
REGULARS
EDI TOR’ S LET TER
We need to proceed with caution and responsibility as we seek to harness the opportunities presented by the latest disruptive technology
WEB HUB HIGHLIGHTS
Thought leadership articles this month include greenwashing, quiet quitting and nurturing talent
FROM THE CEO
A review of India’s management education market, following a work trip to cities including Mumbai, Bengaluru and Kolkata
BUS INESS BRI EF ING The latest news and research from across AMBA’s global network AGENTS OF CHANGE Rotterdam School of Management dean Ansgar Richter on the work behind its win in the partnership category of the AMBA & BGA Excellence Awards 2023 SPOTLIGHT ON SCHOOLS A profile of IIM Tiruchirappalli, a recent addition to AMBA’s global network
OPINION
GROWTH The rewards gained by the pursuit of continuous learning and personal development SUCCESS How broader definitions of the concepts of success and failure can benefit society as a whole
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AMBA CONNECT EVENTS 2023
AMBA Connect is a series of events designed to bring together student and graduate members from AMBA-accredited programmes around the world. These evening events provide the perfect setting for students and graduates to meet and exchange insights with like-minded peers.
UPCOMING EVENTS
MAY 10
JULY 4
BARCELONA, SPAIN
EDINBURGH, UK
Students can discover more at: associationofmbas.com/students-and-graduates/member-events
Issue 62 | APRIL 2023
FEATURES
EDUCATION TRANSFORMED
AN INTELLIGENT PARTNERSHIP Pierre Casse and Elnura Irmatova examine
Oriol Amat and José Manuel Martínez-Sierra discuss the challenges and risks associated with UPF Barcelona School of Management’s recent experience of organisational transformation
the impact and future implications of AI on
business and society, in the second of a three-part series from IEDC-Bled School of Management
A WAITING GAME Edhec Business School’s Benoit Arnaud on the work that remains to be done before schools can offer education that is 100 per cent student-driven and which truly harnesses digital innovation
When attempting to implement change in an organisation, it is normal to encounter resistance to transformation Oriol Amat, professor of financial economics and accounting at University Pompeu Fabra (UPF) and José Manuel Martínez-Sierra, director general of UPF Barcelona School of Management
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RESEARCH AND INSIGHT: STAY AHEAD OF THE TRENDS IN BUSINESS EDUCATION
Over the past two years, AMBA’s Research and Insight Centre has produced a wealth of groundbreaking new research and compiled reports citing views from MBA thinkers, practitioners, faculty and leaders across the globe on the issues that matter most in business education. Recent AMBA research has investigated business schools’ attitudes to poverty, rankings, climate change and education technology. We have analysed MBA career trajectories, graduate success in the new normal, application and enrolment figures across a spectrum of programmes, as well as employer and student perceptions of lifelong learning.
We also seek to collaborate with business schools and corporate partners in order to further enhance AMBA’s research offering.
If you are interested in partnering on research, joining one of our roundtables or focus groups to delve into the findings, or even sharing your thoughts on what topics you would like AMBA to explore, then please contact research@associationofmbas.com
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
Coming of AGE
As the new generation of AI gains traction in everyday life, how best can we harness its power?
recent article penned by tech guru Bill Gates hailed ChatGPT, the latest iteration of artificial intelligence, as nothing short of “revolutionary”. Gates believes that this development is as fundamental as the creation of the internet or the mobile phone, noting that it will change the way people work, learn, travel, access healthcare and communicate with each other. The key word here for our industry, of course, is ‘learn’. In our last issue, Neoma marketing professor Alain Goudey argued that ChatGPT could become a critical resource in enhancing remote learning, while pointing out that the technology “is a means, not an end”. Goudey advocates its use in collaborative group projects, as this could be a viable method for business school lecturers to use when guiding students’ use of AI tools. In this way, faculty sta can help learners understand the ethical debate surrounding the technology and how it can most eectively be used to support – but crucially, not replace – their own thinking. In this issue, our cover story from IEDC-Bled School of Management in Slovenia looks at the countless consequences of the growing involvement of AI in our daily life, including the identification and analysis of those new business challenges we face in the modern world. In fact, we are on the cusp of granting this new-generation AI the power to actively contribute to some of our key decisions across sectors as diverse and wide-ranging as medicine, transportation, sciences, finance and defence. The authors acknowledge that AI is more ecient than the human approach in many respects and that in fact human knowledge and skills are becoming obsolete across a number of roles, including in the field of leadership. Yet we desperately need this technology to assist us in repairing the havoc humanity has wreaked on our planet. So how best to proceed? The answer may lie in a partnership labelled ‘hybrid intelligence’, characterised by an integration of input from both parties, resulting in a new alliance between human and non-organic minds. This new era oers many opportunities, but we also need to proceed with caution and take heed of the words of French Enlightenment philosopher Voltaire: “With great power, comes great responsibility”.
Head of marketing and communications Leonora Clement
Senior marketing executive Edward Holmes
Head of IT and data management Jack Villanueva
Head of events Carolyn Armsby
HR and employer relations manager Aarti Bhasin Finance and commercial Director Catherine Walker
Colette Doyle , Editor, Ambition
THIS MONTH’S CONTRIBUTORS
Chief executive ocer Andrew Main Wilson
Executive assistant to the CEO Sharon Sidaway s.sidaway@amba-bga.com ACCREDITATION ENQUIRIES accreditation@amba-bga.com
ORIOL AMAT
BENOIT ARNAUD
PIERRE CASSE
ED HADDON
ELNURA IRMATOVA
JOSÉ MANUEL MARTÍNEZSIERRA
BEN NOTHNAGEL
ANSGAR RICHTER
PAWAN KUMAR SINGH
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
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The latest news from across AMBA’s network BUSINESS BRIEFING
Tim Banerjee Dhoul , Ellen Buchan and Colette Doyle delve into some of the latest research from AMBA-accredited business schools on topics that include how to make the o ce more enticing and the persistence of gender inequality in business
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NEWS AND INSIGHT
FEMALE ENTREPRENEURS SHOWN TO FACE DISCRIMINATION FROM THEIR OWN EMPLOYEES COUNTRY: Denmark SCHOOL: Copenhagen Business School
Last month, we celebrated International Women’s Day – a day that provides a chance to reflect on how far we have come as a society, but one that is also a reminder of how much things still need to change. With this in mind, a new piece of research from Copenhagen Business School has found that female entrepreneurs not only face discrimination from external stakeholders but that they also face discrimination from their own employees. Researchers recruited 500 online workers via an online employment marketplace. They were told they would be image coding to help a new tech start-up build a database of pictures and that they would be paid $1 for every eight to 10 minutes of work. At the end of the shift, workers were asked if they would be able to do additional work for no pay. Exactly half of these workers were willing to work extra when they thought they worked for Matthew and Joe, but this proportion was only 40 per cent among those who thought they were working for Amanda and Chloe. The study follows on from another experiment in which full-time employees were found to have contributed fewer regular hours and less overtime to female founders compared to male founders, creating a gender productivity gap of seven per cent. In both cases, the results show that female entrepreneurs must pay more than their male counterparts for the same work, which could make all the dierence between success and failure at a small start-up. Associate professor at Copenhagen Business School Vera Rocha conducted the study, published in Organization Science, with colleagues from London Business School and the University of Oregon. Speaking about the gender productivity gap, Rocha said: “If this happens in real workplaces, this may translate into dierences in the number of clients you get on board, how many units you sell or how fast you can enter a new market.” EB
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NEW APP AIMS TO REINVENT
QUOTAS SEEN AS EQUALITY SHORTCUT COUNTRY: Spain SCHOOL: Esade Business School Changing views on gender equality among more than 1,000 female professionals are highlighted in a new report from Esade Business School’s Esade Women Initiative (EWI). The report – the seventh edition of the EWI’s Esade Gender Monitor – finds that more than half of female professionals are now in favour of quotas as a means of combating inequality. This proportion “reveals an important change of opinion as time goes by,” according to Patricia Cauqui, co-author of the report and academic director of gender balance and D&I programmes at Esade. “A few years ago, eight out of every 10 women would have said they were against quotas. Today, 28 per cent are still against quotas, but 51 per cent demand quotas as a temporary measure and shortcut to equal opportunities,” Cauqui continued. Another shift comes in the way female professionals view companies’ attitudes towards tackling gender inequality. Back in 2016, 65 per cent of the Esade Gender Monitor ’s respondents said they felt the issue was seen as “a women’s problem” or a “trend”. However, the equivalent proportion is just 23 per cent in 2023. While this fall is undoubtedly a positive, 56 per cent of this year’s respondents still believe that their company does not treat gender equality as a strategic priority. What do female professionals want most? The top measure cited here is more visible female role models in the media and world of culture, followed by the normalisation of care at home being provided by both members of a couple. A further finding in relation to this last point: 42 per cent responded to a question regarding sacrifices made in pursuit of careers by saying that they had delayed or ruled out motherhood to advance in their profession. The report also polled respondents on where they currently experience day-to-day barriers, with unconscious bias (cited by 45 per cent) topping the list. The most popular measure for eliminating obstacles, meanwhile, is mentoring programmes (cited by 48 per cent). TBD
LIFELONG LEARNING COUNTRY: France SCHOOL: Insead
As the world becomes increasingly complex and the business landscape changes faster than ever, being successful in the workplace requires continuous lifelong learning. This means that executives are increasingly looking for solutions that blend learning into the flow of work. To this end, grande école Insead has launched the Insead Learning Hub, described as “a first-of-its-kind subscription-based mobile app” for lifelong learning. The Learning Hub is the latest step in the process to shape the future of education, built to respond to the changing needs of executives and leaders who are navigating disruption in today’s exceptionally turbulent times. Through the hub, learners will be able to tap into the global Insead community and explore curated and personalised thought leadership content from the school’s faculty, leading Insead alumni, as well as other practitioners and academics. The hub is designed to be a complement to the school’s existing programmes: its multi-format, bite-sized content and rich communities will transform the Insead experience into a continuous lifelong learning journey. Commenting on the initiative, deputy dean, dean of innovation and strategy professor at Insead Peter Zemsky said: “From pioneering the first one-year MBA programme to launching the first company-specific programmes as well as customised online courses, the spirit of innovation is an essential part of Insead’s DNA. “True to that entrepreneurial spirit, we have set up a learning innovation team dedicated to keeping Insead at the forefront of management education practice. The Insead Learning Hub is its first major new oering to reinvent lifelong learning.” He concluded: “By putting Insead in their pocket, learners will have access to impactful tools to reinvent themselves, create opportunities for engagement and empower themselves to think, act and work dierently. The hub’s unique design is an excellent fit for busy executives looking to build the skills and competencies needed to thrive and drive impact today and tomorrow.” CD
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NEWS AND INSIGHT
THE ART OF MAKING THE
CULTIVATED MEAT SHOULD TARGET HEALTH AND SOCIETAL BENEFITS COUNTRY: Singapore SCHOOL: Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Singapore Management University People with higher levels of wellbeing are more likely to be willing to eat cultivated, or lab-grown, meat according to a new study co-authored by Lee Kong Chian School of Business associate professor Mark Chong. The study also found that willingness to eat cultivated meat can be boosted by the perception that it is as healthy and nutritious as conventional meat and that it is just as safe and possesses the same sensory quality, while also being beneficial to society. The results, based on a survey of around 1,000 Singaporeans, have some clear implications for a burgeoning industry, as Chong elaborated: “Cultivated meat companies can target information related to the health, safety and societal benefits aorded by cultivated meat to higher wellbeing consumers. “They may also consider the happiness or wellbeing index of countries when deciding where to focus their promotion eorts. They can seek to promote greater awareness of cultivated meat in these societies first and, over time, higher public acceptance can be picked up by other countries to make advocacy eorts more eective.” In 2020, Singapore became the world’s first country to allow the commercial sale of cultivated meat. The subsequent year, the global sector attracted some $1.9 billion of venture capital. Supporters of the sector assert that it curbs animal cruelty, is better for the environment and that it has the potential to be safer and healthier than conventional meat. Lead author for the study is Angela Leung, a professor of psychology at Singapore Management University. She said the results suggest “that food consumption is a meaning-making process where higher wellbeing individuals, compared to their lower wellbeing counterparts, are more likely to recognise the societal, health and safety benefits associated with cultivated meat.” The study has been published in Appetite , a journal specialising in food and drink research. TBD
OFFICE MORE ENTICING COUNTRY: Norway SCHOOL: BI Norwegian Business School
The post-Covid return to the oce can often cause rifts. While some employers have implemented policies that aim to bring about a return to the workspace, there are many employees who question this, having done their jobs from home eectively for years. In particular, people don’t always see why they should have to add time onto their day to commute and then contend with the distractions associated with oce life. Associate professor at BI Norwegian Business School Federica De Molli says that, instead of forcing people back into the oce, there should be some incentive. By using good oce design, for example, she believes organisations can make attending in person more attractive. Combining the findings of several pieces of research, De Molli has four top tips to make workspaces more eective. The first is to embrace flexibility. She says that employees should be able to work where they want and create spaces where they feel comfortable in the oce – for example, by moving the furniture around. De Molli suggests that this would not only reduce employee stress and increase productivity, but that it would also save organisations money by reducing the number of fixed positions they have to pay for. The second tip is to create spaces for social time and relaxation. Socialising with co-workers helps people bond, which creates better working relationships. Social spaces are also known for fostering creativity, De Molli says. Tip number three is for organisations to invest in ecient and quality furniture to make workplaces more inviting and comfortable for employees. Bringing the natural world into the oce is the last of the BI professor’s tips, with plants and light linked to a reduction in employee stress. By creating flexible, social, comfortable and nature-filled spaces for employees, organisations can entice their employees back to the oce and on a more regular basis, in De Molli’s opinion. Perhaps universities and business schools can encourage sta and students to attend their physical campuses more often by using this same set of guidelines. EB
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ZEROING IN ON CHANGE FOR HAULIERS COUNTRY: Colombia SCHOOL: Faculty of Administration, Universidad de Los Andes With the aim of driving change in the automotive freight transport (TAC) sector, Universidad de Los Andes has presented the second year of results from its GiroZero project to an audience of public and private sector representatives. “Our research and tools seek to demonstrate how the TAC can advance the transition to zero emissions and, at the same time, improve its competitiveness and performance,” explained Gordon Wilmsmeier, project lead and director of the Kühne Chair of Logistics at the Universidad de los Andes Faculty of Administration. Specifically, the project aims to provide information on the costs and benefits of adopting new technologies and practices. It also hopes to help companies improve their data analysis processes to reduce their emissions. This year’s results have culminated in the launch of the GiroZero Toolbox, oering tools and simulators that are designed to facilitate decision-making processes. Another key output is the GiroZero Roadmap, which oers the TAC a path towards becoming a zero-emission sector. In addition, two policy briefs make recommendations for achieving Colombia’s goals in relation to its adoption of the Paris Agreement and those of the country’s own National Development Plan 2022-2026. Items on the agenda for the latter encompass incentives for using zero-emission technologies and a gradual increase to the country’s carbon tax. The need to modernise vehicle fleets is also a key topic, as project researcher and professor at the Universidad de los Andes Faculty of Administration Carlos Hernández highlighted. “Our research seeks to find financial instruments that can make this… more aordable for transporters and highlight the financial benefits that can be obtained by purchasing or leasing a low or zero-emission truck.” GiroZero is led by the Faculty of Administration and Faculty of Engineering at the Universidad de los Andes, together with Cardi University, and has funding from the Colombia-UK PACT (Partnering for Accelerated Climate Transitions). While its focus is on Colombia, it forms part of a network of collaboration and initiatives in the Americas. Universidad Andrés Bello in Chile, for example, is an academic partner and there are direct collaborations with similar projects in Chile and the US. TBD
CAUTION: FRAGILE MASCULINITY AT WORK COUNTRY: Canada SCHOOL: Schulich School of Business New research from York University’s Schulich School of Business reveals that men tend to respond to questions about their gender identity with a wide variety of harmful workplace behaviours. These include withholding help, mistreating co-workers, stealing company property and lying for personal gain. The authors of an article pertaining to the research conducted a series of studies with more than 500 employees based in the US and China that looked at the impact of various experiences. These include failing to live up to masculine or feminine stereotypes at work, being compared negatively to others with respect to masculine or feminine traits, holding a job traditionally viewed as masculine or feminine and – for men – reporting to a female supervisor. The researchers found that when men perceived these experiences as threats to their masculinity – which was often the case – they were more likely to engage in toxic workplace behaviours, including cheating, stealing, breaking rules and undermining colleagues. The pattern was not found among women when femininity was threatened. “Men need to be aware of this behaviour, and proactively embrace a healthier version of masculinity,” noted Luke Zhu, associate professor of organisation studies at the Schulich School of Business. “At the same time, managers and leaders can take steps to dismantle the structures that may be driving men to feel that their masculinity is being threatened in the first place.” He added: “If we can create a workplace culture in which everyone feels that their gender identities are valued, then we can begin reducing the destructive behaviour that often occurs when those identities are questioned or threatened.” The findings are contained in an article published recently in Harvard Business Review . The article was co-authored by Zhu, along with Keith Leavitt, the Betty S Henry Amundson faculty scholar in ethics and professor of management at Oregon State University. The other contributors were Maryam Kouchaki, professor of management and organisations at Kellogg School of Management and Anthony C Klotz, associate professor of management at University College London School of Management. CD
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NEWS AND INSIGHT
LANGUAGE EDI’S FORGOTTEN FRONTIER COUNTRY: UK SCHOOL: Durham University Business School, Durham University
Global companies have global employees and while it is widely recognised that diversity and di erence are to be celebrated, multinational companies still need to ensure that they have the right systems in place to prevent discrimination. A new study entitled Implementing the equality, diversity and inclusion agenda in multinational companies aims to educate organisations on how to put in place an equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) agenda with a two-step framework focused on linguistics. It is authored by Martyna Śliwa and Sylwia Ciuk of Oxford Brookes University, together with Anne-Wil Harzing of Middlesex University. The researchers assert that EDI policy and debates too often focus on a small range of diversity dimensions and fail to mention language – despite language-based stereotyping and discrimination having a significant impact on work and career outcomes. The first step in their proposed framework is to change the way multinational companies think about diversity and di erences. They recommend that organisations start seeing di erences in a positive light as opposed to challenges that must be overcome. In particular, multiple languages should be viewed as a resource. The second step is about changing actions. The researchers believe that those who communicate at work in a foreign language must be encouraged to adjust to the dominant group’s way of communicating. “Displaying positive attitudes towards language di erences and an openness to non-standard language norms, as well as adjusting the communicative behaviour of all members of the organisation, are all small but vital steps to enhance inclusion,” Ciuk explained. The research suggests that the only way linguistical inclusion can prolificate e ectively is when there is buy-in from all sta . They therefore recommend that language is included in all HR and organisational EDI e orts. EB
SHARE YOUR NEWS AND RESEARCH UPDATES by emailing AMBA & BGA’s content editor Tim Banerjee Dhoul at t.dhoul@amba-bga.com
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An intelligent partnership
In the second of a three-part series of articles on management, Professor Pierre Casse and Elnura Irmatova of IEDC-Bled School of Management focus on those AI algorithms that are having such a tremendous impact on business, as well as society in general, and consider the future implications of this seemingly omniscient technology
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LEADERSHIP
Ambition APRIL 2023 | 15
S
ince time immemorial, mankind has been searching for ways to enhance lives through scientific and technological innovation. That approach to human development has more lately been labelled ‘transhumanism’, which, as J Huxley remarked, is about “man remaining man but transcending himself by realising new possibilities”. AI-based algorithms, also known as
Non-organic intelligence is pushing us towards new forms of being, both individually and socially it is all becoming rather alarming and we must face up to a number of facts: NOI is more ecient than the human approach in many respects; our knowledge and skills are growing outdated in many sectors, including leadership; and NOI will eectively put out of work many people whose positions are sadly becoming obsolete. It is both intriguing and challenging to hear somebody like Elon Musk say that there is “no need to have any regulations around AI”. We certainly need to manage the growing role of NOI, so it doesn’t go haywire. Many leadership experts claim that we are not yet fully dependent on NOI and that we still can control its influence. In essence, they state that up to now we can use both means for problem-solving, ie we can apply the solution suggested by the algorithm or the one found by using our own IQ. But is that a smart thing to do? Think about the cost – economic, social and psychological – of ignoring what NOI is claiming and oering. It seems that we have reached the point of no return, a point where the damage of neglecting what NOI can bring to the leadership table would be quite high. The challenges of AI Interestingly enough, the challenges leaders are facing nowadays are entirely dierent from those at the time of the agricultural, industrial and digital revolutions. Apart from being at the centre of global change, we are challenged with a disruptive transformation in many aspects of our daily lives. No wonder we are experiencing subtle and unconscious resistance to accepting these latest changes. It is obvious that non-organic intelligence is in the process of altering our way of seeing ourselves and our position in the world. We are getting pushed out of our comfort zone – not for the first time and, hopefully, not for the last either. In a way, NOI has become a major leadership challenge given that leaders in most organisations must reinvent their existing business models and reformulate the nature of work. This includes the redistribution of the work done by people and that carried
non-organic-intelligence, or NOI, have rapidly developed over the past decade and they can collect and process data much faster and much more eectively than any human being. Perhaps we should ask ourselves: are we losing control of our unique abilities? ChatGPT is alive – and kicking Have you watched the news recently? ChatGPT is alive and demonstrating that AI is already smart enough to pass MBA exams. Previously, we had doubts as to whether AI could replace human beings at work, then we admitted its ability to step in and replace humans in some jobs, but not yet in leadership roles. But now it appears that it can do all that and more. There are several questions leaders cannot aord to ignore. Is it correct to call the algorithms we have invented ‘intelligence’? Aren’t we just falling into the old trap of anthropomorphism? Can we survive without the assistance of NOI? How far can the algorithms that we have invented and attributed with intelligence go? What are the human qualities that NOI does not have – and may never develop – that will give us the power to steer the evolution of humanity in the right direction? The answers to those questions could determine how we are going to ensure our biological and mental survival and development as living beings. It seems that Alan Turing’s prophecy is becoming a reality: “I believe that at the end of the century, the use of words and general educated opinion will have altered so much that one will be able to speak of machines without expecting to be contradicted.” NOI & leadership It is amazing to see that so many leaders are not yet facing up to the fact that non-organic intelligence is taking over in numerous economic and social sectors, as well as in many other dimensions of our collective life, including the sciences. It is happening fast and in very subtle ways. We could almost say that NOI is assuming control of some key human activities, with or without our blessing, or even our awareness. It seems that we have granted NOI the power to actively participate in making a diagnosis in various social and economic situations, as well as to contribute to some of our key decisions and activities in the fields of medicine, transportation, science, finance and defence. There are countless consequences of the growing involvement of these algorithms in our daily life, including the identification and analysis of the new challenges we are facing today. In a way,
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LEADERSHIP
intuition, emotions and ethical views, as well as – and much more importantly – a unique and human perspective of life with meaning and value. Assuming that NOI does not possess a ‘conscience’, it is imperative that leaders keep control of the ethical dimension of decisions and initiatives in the partnership. Is it good for us? Is this what we want? Can we ensure the partnership delivers what is required and how can we avoid any deviation? Moreover, leaders must keep in mind that algorithms today have – and presumably will have more so tomorrow – the ability to reinvent themselves, so this could have serious and unintended consequences. The leaders of today should not lose sight of critical questions such as who will have the power to lead the partnership with NOI? Can we already foresee the potential evolution of artificial intelligence? What comes next? The new ‘invisible hand’ It was renowned Scottish economist and philosopher Adam Smith who said: “They are led by an invisible hand to make nearly the same distribution of the necessaries of life, which would have been made, had the earth been divided in equal portions among all its inhabitants.” It seems true that NOI is pushing us towards new forms of being, both individually and socially, leading to the birth of what we might term Homo Numericus . Once again, we are experiencing a revolution in our human conscience and existence. Nobody can predict what’s going to happen to us and yet we can state the following with certainty: non-organic intelligence is just what we need to successfully deal with the major issues that humans have created through greed and environmental damage. There is a possibility that we have missed out on a stage in our evolution as living beings. Besides the numerous benefits associated with non-organic intelligence, there is a negative scenario we must face: namely, the reduction of privacy in our lives. Are we getting into the 1984 way of living as described by George Orwell? Are we losing control over our destiny? Our survival as a species requires a dramatic change in the way we organise ourselves at a global level. The challenge is time; we do not have much time left to re-invent the way we manage our collective life on the planet. Pessimism is not going to help us survive or ensure that the next generation will have a chance to live better lives. A new type of leadership is in order; it is up to all of us to redefine and fight for it. Maybe the new invisible hand will take care of it. But will it ever be able to care in the same way that humans do?
out by NOI. This challenge has a tremendous impact on the re- orientation and reskilling of those workers whose competencies have fallen out of favour. Then there’s the advancement of security policies. With NOI in place, many security concerns will arise regarding the proper use of algorithms; leaders have to address and resolve these issues to make cooperation with NOI safe and reliable. We also have to contend with a major redefinition regarding business vision and how a company operates, including the necessity to partner with NOI. Many organisations such as Amazon, Microsoft, Alibaba, TikTok, Meta and Google are becoming key catalysts in reshaping our human lives. Besides these challenges, leaders must also keep in mind that the use of algorithms in teams and organisations will bring many new ethical issues to light. Certainly, one of them is regarding the notion of responsibility, meaning who exactly is in charge? Looking to tomorrow We are approaching a brand-new world that features hitherto unknown leadership issues and requirements. Obviously, the leaders of tomorrow will have to make faster decisions based on both intuition and facts, as well as relying increasingly on NOI for the collection of facts and the identification of tentative solutions. Leaders will also have to focus on the ethical aspect of all possible actions. Non-organic leadership implies that leaders must learn to use and trust the new form of data processing and decision-making. It is not a question of controlling the power of artificial intelligence, since we believe that is already beyond our human control, but establishing an active partnership with it – something called ‘hybrid intelligence’. This is a partnership characterised by an integration of input coming from both parties, resulting in a new alliance between human and non-organic minds. We already experienced that in the past to some extent when we initiated a partnership between the human mind and the machines we invented. On this basis, the partnership with non-organic intelligence can provide rapid access to a great amount of data; provide an interconnected and logically reliable analysis of facts; and identify and suggest various options for decisions and actions. Human beings, on the other hand, will bring to the table their
BIOGRAPHIES Professor Pierre Casse is the leadership chair at IEDC-Bled School of Management in Slovenia and the author of Leadership without concessions and Leadership for a new world , as well as the co-author with Paul George Claudel of Leading with wisdom . Elnura Irmatova is a researcher and DBA candidate at the school
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Ambition BE IN BRILLIANT COMPANY
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DIGITAL LEARNING
A
waiting
game Business schools are embracing digital innovation and seeing
exciting results, but they have yet to achieve the mind shift necessary to oer 100 per cent student- driven education, as Edhec Business School’s Benoit Arnaud explains
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questions we cannot answer today because we lack the data and experience necessary to understand them and brainstorm solutions. “Lots of schools are using chatbots on their websites to help with recruitment, but this is not revolutionary,” says Imperial College Business School professor of practice David Lefevre, who co-created Insendi, one of the first hi-touch digital learning platforms for MBAs in Europe. “As long as we are using AI to do what we already do, we’re stuck on a plateau. The challenge is to use AI to replace what we are doing, or do it in a dierent way. And, so far, I’ve seen little that represents true innovation.” Business schools that have invested in a chatbot shouldn’t let that last comment sting their pride: taking chances on new technology is a necessary step in the evolution of business education. And while it’s true that there is a way to go in mastering
he pressure on business schools to fully embrace the digital age is intense, with many schools rushing to acquire expertise in artificial intelligence, virtual reality, content management systems and the metaverse. We read almost daily about schools that are launching online certificates and degrees, including 100 per cent digital MBAs, and we have the impression that the digital revolution is already here. However, it’s important to bear in mind that we are still in the early days of the transformation of our industry; there are considerable challenges that lie ahead, including weighty questions around the best use of technology and analytics for student success, content development and programme management. There’s also consternation over the role of AI in business school strategic initiatives, including degree development and student recruitment. There are
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digitalisation initiatives so that their students benefit from the expertise and dynamic teaching of professors on campuses around the globe. Edhec is proud to be a founding member of the FOME Alliance and to help drive its success. “As individual schools, alliance members are too small and no one school has all the expertise or resources necessary, but together they are able to tackle the challenges of meeting learners’ needs in the digital space,” notes Barniville. “During the pandemic, alliance schools quickly formed very interesting workgroups, which saved members significant time and money. Instead of emergency solutions, many FOME members were able to re-engineer their courses to use course material they already had in the pipeline.” The partnerships that Edhec forged with schools such as Johns Hopkins University and Singapore Management University, both members of FOME, helped it navigate the pandemic, while also allowing the school to launch its own 100 per cent digital learning platform in 2018. Since its creation, Edhec Online has trained 2,000 students from 51 countries. Today, it oers 132 courses, six certificates and MOOCs and seven degrees. The completion rate for students is 96 per cent. This innovative learning platform is run by 107 faculty members, career coaches and academic mentors and managed by 40 full-time administrative sta. Building on experience Digital learning platforms such as Edhec Online are examples of what is to come. Soon, business schools could use digitalised content to give students the tailor-made content or modular learning that they need to take on a new project at work, or make a move to another department within their organisation. “Digital allows us to consider if someone else has already created content that is better than what we could create ourselves,” comments Barniville. “It allows for business schools to decide where they can deliver quality and impact.” For many schools, the digital revolution, and all that comes with it, will result in 100 per cent blended degree programmes, which, in the end, will be more respectful of each learner’s needs. We all know some learning objectives are more easily absorbed in a self-paced environment and blended programmes allow learners to study at their own pace in the setting of their choice, be that plane, train or outdoor terrace. They will also provide face-to-face teaching time that will be used to stimulate behaviour change. In the near future, Lefevre envisions a learning environment where AI dictates what happens in the classroom, not professors. “AI is radical, crazy stu,” he says. “Today, we have a human system that is supported by AI and humans still call the shots in the classroom. But true AI teaching would flip that, with technology calling the shots and humans supporting the technology when it gets stuck.” Lefevre also cautions that this is probably not the type of AI that most business schools will adopt. Instead, he predicts that AI-led teaching will be used to democratise learning in low-income zones, but that it will not be used for MBA or other business master’s programmes because of their hi-touch needs.
machine learning, things are moving in the right direction. Online education has been around for 20 years, but we have yet to significantly change the type of degrees and learning formats that we oer online. The ‘Big Bang’ moment for learning via the internet was probably in 2008, with the creation of the first massive open online courses (MOOCs), and we’re still a way o from that radical MOOC moment with machine learning and extreme digitalisation. A digital mind shift One of the biggest challenges for business schools in the digital age will be creating a 100 per cent learner-centric environment. Currently, we still develop programmes to fill gaps in expertise and then seek out students to fill these programmes. But as we move deeper into digitalisation, we must flip this mindset and figure out how to create 100 per cent student-driven courses. At Edhec Business School we started moving into the digital sphere in the 2000s; we’re still gaining insights from our early initiatives and shifting our thinking from “we have a programme” to “we have a learner.” The same is probably true for you and your school. You’ve probably made a push into the digital age but feel that there’s still a lot more to accomplish, which can be a frustrating state of aairs. As an industry, higher education adapts to change at glacial speed and while some schools may push ahead, our sector tends to be cautious. This is why Lefevre believes that the MOOC moment for AI will take place outside of the business school environment. However, he’s still not giving up on the industry’s potential for bold moves. “Even if the digital transition is slow moving, it is coming,” he warns, adding: “and you don’t want to be left behind.” Gaining confidence One of Edhec’s first digital projects was the creation of a learning management system to share course content across campuses in Lille, Paris, Nice, London and Singapore. This experience opened our eyes to the possibilities digital technologies oered and we were eager to tackle other initiatives. In 2011, we created an online bachelor’s degree for high-performing athletes, including some Olympians, who needed extreme flexibility regarding course participation, assessments and exams, as well as workplace experience. This programme’s success emboldened us to move further into the digital sphere and, in 2018, we joined a small group of top-tier international business schools looking to better serve students and their employers via digital education. “It was a group of people who truly believed that digitally delivered learning could be as good if not better than face-to-face learning,” recalls Nick Barniville, founder of GomeraTech, an edtech consulting firm, who served as associate dean of programmes at ESMT Berlin at the time of the group’s creation. The process of working together to create a new digital learning model forged strong bonds between the schools and they went on to form the Future of Management Education Alliance (FOME). Alliance members share learning content and best practice around
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DIGITAL LEARNING
“Education for many people is still too expensive and AI can deliver high-quality courses at a lower cost,” he remarks. “However, MBAs are luxury goods; an AI MBA is probably not going to happen because MBAs tend to be low-volume, bespoke programmes. The power of AI is in the democratisation of education and low cost-access.” AI could, however, be used by business schools to change the way they use data dramatically. With machine learning, it’s possible to analyse integrated data sets from admissions, degree programmes and career outcomes and obtain incredibly powerful insights. For example, schools would be able to know which students at their school are getting the best jobs and then use that information to tweak degree programmes. They would also have the capacity to anticipate a dip in their MBA ranking five years in advance by analysing the student candidate pool. “AI will have a greater impact on the non-teaching part of business education, such as automation around recruitment, job placement and programme administration”, asserts Lefevre. “But it’s still going to take a while to get there.” Advice on moving forward For many business schools, the big question is what type of digital programmes to oer. At Edhec, we answered this question by looking at our core academic strengths – finance, business strategy, entrepreneurship and sustainability – and created online programmes that could benefit from our expertise. We also thought about digital pedagogy and how we could encourage students to work together online. In his consulting work, Barniville says school administrators often ask him what types of digital programmes they should oer, but he advises them to start by asking why learners would be interested in getting a degree or certificate from them in the first place. “Digital education is pushing the concept of brand even further; potential students have a huge diversity of choice because they don’t have to shop locally.” Barniville encourages business school leaders to focus on creating the right educational product for their target demographic. He dissuades them from getting too caught up in digital tools and the race to implement them. Before we launched Edhec Online, we took time to speak with other schools forging ahead in the digital sphere and we learned a lot about the latest technical tools and gadgets. Ultimately, we partnered with edtech innovators that we knew could provide our students with the tools they would need to succeed; these include virtual learning expeditions and AI quizzes to stimulate learning. In a world where new technologies are coming onto the market daily, it’s important not to get overwhelmed. Instead, Lefevre advises keeping a cool head about digital innovation. “All tech advocates have amazing tales to tell and they really believe in their products, but most of what they throw at you is probably a waste of time and students’ money,” observes Lefevre. “But you do need to engage with these new technologies because if you don’t do so now, it will be impossible to catch up.”
BIOGRAPHIES
Benoit Arnaud is dean of programmes at Edhec Business School and the executive director of Edhec Online. He oversees the development and management of the school’s portfolio of academic programmes, including undergraduate courses (bachelor’s degree), pre-experience programmes (master’s in management and MSc), MBAs, executive education and the continuing expansion of Edhec Online
David Lefevre is a professor of practice in digital innovation at Imperial College Business School and the chairman and co-founder of Insendi. He is a serial entrepreneur and serves on the board of trustees of the British Council
Nick Barniville is the founder of Gomera Tech, an edtech strategy and implementation partner for universities. He previously served as associate dean of programmes at ESMT Berlin
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Rotterdam School of Management at Erasmus University picked up the prize for best business school partnership at the AMBA & BGA Excellence Awards 2023 for its work with the Dutch-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce. Here, school dean Ansgar Richter tells Tim Banerjee Dhoul how external connections
can boost an institution’s ability to inspire change and make a positive impact on the world Agents of
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AMBA & BGA EXCELLENCE AWARDS WINNERS
change
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How did it feel to win the Best Business School Partnership 2023 award? “Personally, I was very proud to hear that our collaboration with the Dutch-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (Dutcham) on the Orange Academy programme had won this prestigious award. I feel this is recognition of the incredible work that has been done by all my colleagues here at Rotterdam School of Management (RSM) and Dutcham. Why are partnerships with external organisations so important for business schools in your opinion? “External partnerships are pivotal for us, as they should be for any international business school. They demonstrate the connection between business, government and education that is essential to make a positive impact in the world. “Without such partnerships and the collaborations that they inspire, we would not be able to prepare the next generation of business leaders for the tough decisions that they will need to take.” How did your winning partnership with Dutcham come about? “As a business school that is firmly rooted in the Netherlands, yet one that also has global reach, our international network matters greatly. In this context, as so often happens, the connection with Dutcham began with a professional contact and through the school’s long-standing relationships with Dutch missions across the world. “Rotterdam is a global trading hub and we have, therefore, always reached out across borders to support the ambitions of both the Netherlands and our students and faculty.
“Dutcham, meanwhile, recognised the value of connecting with a sustainable business school that aims to be a force for positive change in the world.” Can you outline what the aims of the partnership are? “In this partnership, we connect RSM experts with people who are working for Dutch companies based in Brazil. The school’s experts are there to offer insights on how their respective industries work and how the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can be implemented in organisations. “We run a talent school, known as the Orange Academy, where young business leaders learn about sustainable practice and we coach them through a case study competition, in which teams develop and present solutions to specific challenges related to sustainability. “This approach provides RSM with a unique chance to educate these young leaders about the opportunities presented by more responsible business practices. It’s also a way to ensure both sides benefit from a more global perspective.” The partnership targets Brazil’s Dutch business community – why did you feel it was important to help bring young professionals from this group together? “Brazil is twice the size of the Netherlands in terms of its GDP, more than 12 times larger than the country in terms of the size of its population and 200 times larger in terms of its surface area. In addition, Brazil is one of the world’s biggest- growing markets. So, naturally, it is an extremely important market for Dutch companies and one that provides plenty of business opportunities.
External partnerships are pivotal for us… they demonstrate the connection between business, government and education essential to make a positive impact on the world
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