INDUSTRY-SCHOOL COLLABORATION
helps prepare them to work in multi-disciplinary environments and tackle complex challenges from diverse perspectives. In the Essca MBA programme, students will receive instruction in strategy, management and business from professors at our business school. At the same time, specialised courses such as Innovation & Technology Transfer or Industry 4.0 will be taught by our partner engineering school. Students will then be able to merge this knowledge in a consulting project. Collaborative programmes expose students to interdisciplinary learning experiences, where they can engage with peers and faculty members from different backgrounds. This can foster creativity and critical thinking. In addition, there are significant networking opportunities, enabling students from business schools and technical institutions to widen their professional network. Lastly, partnering with technical institutions can facilitate innovation and entrepreneurship by nurturing students’ ability to identify market opportunities to commercialise new technologies. I see this very much as a win-win: students from a technical background get exposure to business thinking, while business school learners gain a better understanding of technology developments. How employers can benefit Many of the top MBA recruiters are tech-based companies and having a combination of business and technology understanding is very attractive to employers. Business and technical programmes can provide employers with access to a diverse talent pool of graduates who possess interdisciplinary skills and industry- relevant knowledge. Combined programmes can be designed in collaboration with industry partners, ensuring that graduates possess up‑to‑date knowledge and skills relevant to the needs of recruiter companies. Collaboration between scientific institutions and business schools can also help to foster a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship. Graduates are more likely to have an entrepreneurial mindset and be capable of driving innovation within recruiter companies, whether by developing new products, processes or business models. Time to grasp a great opportunity As we experience an increasing number of technological and scientific advancements, there is a great opportunity for business schools to adapt and collaborate with scientific and technical institutions. The big shift in the way we work needs an approach that bridges the gap between business, science and technology. By integrating technical expertise into business education, we can empower students to work in multidisciplinary environments, tackle complex challenges and drive innovation. We can also provide employers with a diverse talent pool equipped with the skills and mindset to navigate and lead in today’s tech-heavy industries. Business and technology are clearly intertwined, meaning that as business schools it is our responsibility to ensure that technology is fully integrated into our activities in order to best support students and other stakeholders.
access to new research and development resources such as laboratories and equipment and can initiate collaborative research projects. By combining their expertise, these collaborative teams have the potential to address complex challenges from multiple angles. Moreover, joint research initiatives may more easily attract funding from both public and private sources. However, while ‘interdisciplinary’ is the term of the moment, any collaboration needs to be carefully thought through and involve partners relevant to the task, not simply for the sake of working together for, say, political reasons. Importantly, co-operation with technical institutions enables business schools to tailor their curricula to meet the evolving needs of tech-heavy industries. Mixing business acumen with technical knowledge is a powerful combination. Developing graduates who are well prepared to play their part in scientific, technology and engineering advancements should be an important focus for us in business education. So many of the issues we face, such as the future of global energy resources, need both technical and business know-how. The advantages for students This kind of collaboration offers numerous benefits for students. Most obviously, MBA cohorts can gain a well-rounded skill set by combining technical expertise with business competencies. This
BIOGRAPHY
Orsolya Sadik-Rozsnyai is a professor of marketing and innovation at Essca; historically based in Angers, it now has campuses in Paris, Aix-en-Provence, Lyon, Strasbourg, Bordeaux, Budapest, Malaga, Luxembourg and Shanghai. She also holds the position of director of the school’s online campus, where she leads a team developing online master’s degrees and programmes. Additionally, Sadik-Rozsnyai is director of the Essca MBA programme created in collaboration with Arts et Métiers. She is a graduate of two business schools, ESCE Paris and KVIF Budapest; she holds a DESS degree (advance graduate diploma) in change management and a master’s in management research from CNAM, from where she obtained her PhD in 2013
Ambition | JUNE 2024 | 29
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