ASIA PACIFIC DEANS & DIRECTORS CONFERENCE
as it is more suited to the corporate world. Ramachandran claimed to have a lot of experience of designing and running programmes and agreed that “skills can be leveraged within the university ecosystem”. In the last question of the session, Iliev turned to technological solutions. Lubis explained that Universitas Indonesia has its own system and any online learning required by the business faculty will be offered via that same platform, although some tools may be outsourced. Butler talked about having access to “an extraordinary array of learning technology that is anchored in our objectives”. Ramachandran noted that KJ Somaiya Institute’s online programmes currently rely on edtech platforms as “they are highly specialised; they’re expensive, but work very effectively.” Capacity-building opportunities Capacity-building as a way of developing effective business school leadership was the subject of the panel discussion chaired by Steef van de Velde, professor of operations management and technology at Rotterdam School of Management. He referred to the implications for business school leadership teams in a world transitioning from VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity) to BANI (brittle, anxious, non-linear and incomprehensible). He asked panellists to elaborate on what skills were required and how change could be initiated. Jorg Bley, dean of the International Business School Suzhou (IBSS) at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, replied that there was “no need to reinvent the wheel” and referenced such ERS (ethics, responsibility and sustainability) projects at his school as a carbon-neutral initiative. In addition, he advocated dedicating a leadership position to ERS to oversee the introduction of those principles to the MBA curriculum, as well as joining forces with ERS organisations in your area. Bley also recommended connecting with local chapters of the UN Global Compact’s PRME initiative. He noted that one of the primary goals of IBSS is to establish itself as a regional centre for responsible and sustainable business education. Van de Velde summarised the school’s plan of action thus: “I’m hearing that it starts with mission and intent; rallying students and partners and incentivising faculty.” Yusniza Kamarulzaman, professor and dean at Universiti Malaya, noted that “there is not just one single strategy that can be adopted”. Her school, social sciences, combines its ideas on how to move forward with the mission and vision of the university, as that is the “easiest way to get buy-in from everyone”, including older staff who, in Kamarulzaman’s view, can on occasion be harder to deal with than younger faculty members.
ifelong learning programme development was the theme of the first debate at the Asia Pacific Deans & Directors conference, held in Bangkok. According to chair George Iliev, AMBA’s strategic projects, innovation, accreditation and China director, business schools can lay claim to several “unfair
advantages”. These include customisation – in the sense of experience of working with the business world – and application – from theory to practice and application – as well as offering access to a physical campus that “helps create memories”. Raman Ramachandran, director and dean of the KJ Somaiya Institute at Somaiya Vidyavihar University in Mumbai, concurred, noting that business schools “have provided answers and solutions to existing problems for a long time”. He advocated that around 20 per cent of MBA programmes should be taught by industry experts, with capstone projects mandatory, as they are “a great way to ensure students have practical experience of real-time learning on the job”. Patrick Butler, global executive MBA director at Monash Business School, commented on how there are “so many lenses and perspectives” on lifelong learning, including “trying to retain a relationship with MBA alumni and creating an annual programme of thought leadership events”. Arief Wibisono Lubis, vice-dean of academic, research and student affairs at the Faculty of Economics and Business at Universitas Indonesia, noted how this was a relatively new area for them, so the faculty needs to adjust its operational outlook. He recounted how the university has “created a dedicated unit to deal with lifelong learning, reaching out to alumni and investing in technology”, adding “we offer constant training based on demand”. Iliev picked up on the idea of “a dedicated unit”, asking how that works between the university and the business school. Lubis explained that his department “has the authority to decide what kind of programme to design, but we will use the platform provided by the university”. He also noted that there is an advisory board with whom they are able to consult. “Inter-departmental tension” is a reality in Butler’s opinion, but he said he avoided any clash of interest by moving away from more formal programmes. “As long as we focus on the business school or MBA-specific alumni, you have a pattern and can demonstrate that it’s not confrontational”. What works, in Illiev’s opinion, is the more executive the lifelong learning programme is, the more successful it will be if based within the business school, rather than the university,
Ambition | FEBRUARY 2024 | 23
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