To avoid theory taking precedence over practical application, programmes at Hult are largely taught through challenge-based learning. For instance, working in groups of six, students will learn how to apply strategic principles to a situation and come up with a solution to a challenge-based business problem. To do this, students will touch on various aspects of business, including strategy, marketing and operations. Last year we adjusted the undergraduate bachelor’s in business administration (BBA) to be taught more in this way. Practical learning challenges are now integrated into the entire programme, ensuring students understand the relevant theory, while developing the mindsets and skills that are essential for a career on a global scale. Every module taken on the programme includes workshops and tutorials about the skills and approaches that students will be applying to their challenge. Di erent people will work on the same problem in di erent ways and, through working in these diverse groups, students will find their own perspectives challenged. Managing different kinds of people There’s a lot of value in theory and knowledge, but when I speak to graduates it’s the practical skills they say have really helped them get promoted and be successful in the workplace. At Hult, we teach individuals how to have di cult conversations; how to manage people who are di erent from them and how to receive feedback as well as give it. When they first start to manage, people usually try to direct everyone in the way that they themselves like to be managed, but this doesn’t always work. It’s easy to manage people who are similar to you, but managing those who are di erent requires an important set of skills that you can only learn from working in a diverse environment. By simulating business challenges while immersed in a truly international classroom, Hult’s programmes are designed to help our students develop these essential management skills. At Hult, as most of the work is done in teams, students really need to focus on figuring out how to get things done. Our postgraduate programmes are comparable to the management development programmes often used by big corporates. These companies o er development programmes to teach sta the skills they’ll need to get promoted. We believe learning should be approached in a slow, purposeful way and we try to challenge how students think
Before taking up my present role as president of Hult International Business School, I didn’t have a set path for my career in mind. Instead, I’ve always tried to go with whatever seems the most interesting option at any given point. An enjoyment of physics led me to study for a PhD in particle physics and cosmology at the University of Cambridge. Then, in my first job after university, I worked as a management consultant; I remained in industry for around 20 years before returning to academia. During this spell, I discovered that my time in academia hadn’t su ciently trained me for the world of business. I was missing essential skills: I hadn’t learnt how to compromise, for instance, how to deal with ambiguity, or how to manage people properly. I spent a good few years learning these skills on the job. Fast-forward several years: having tried my hand at various jobs, I ended up in insurance, in a role that allowed me to work all over the world. For me, the value of this position was getting to travel and work in di erent countries – mainly across Asia and Africa. My time there really inspired me and taught me a lot about myself and the world. Travelling taught me the importance of perspective. I found that people have lots of di erent ways of thinking and an individual’s perspective on a situation is just one of many. I realised that the more we can understand that and embrace it, the better. When I later joined Hult International Business School, it was the international nature of the school that stood out to me. There are students of more than 150 nationalities at Hult, spread across a global campus network; such rich diversity means the cohort has exposure to ideas from all over the world. Training students for the workplace At Hult, we teach our students the skills that are important for the world today. We want our students to be job ready, highly employable and prepared to make an impact on the world when they leave us. We’re changing the balance of teaching and placing a much larger focus on skills development. This is going to become even more relevant in a world where artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly becoming more powerful and more capable. AI’s rapid advancement is likely to mean that knowledge in itself will become less valuable, while skills such as critical thinking will become more important. There’s a huge amount of innovation happening at the moment and we’re investing heavily into the content of the programmes.
32 | Ambition OCTOBER 2023
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