In the June 2009 issue of Harvard Business Review, Joel M Padolny, the former dean of the Yale School of Management and a professor at Harvard Business School and Stanford Graduate School of Business, has written an article where he talks about the average man’s lack of trust in the ethical and moral constitution of MBA grads.
Mr Padolny wrote this article in response to another article, published in the Times of London, which has questioned an MBA students ethics. The Times of London article, written by Philip Delves Broughton, openly blames the current crisis on the lack of proper ethical training of an MBA. According to Mr Broughton, the MBA is taught not to look at details but to try and implement every fancy new bit of business theory regardless of how relevant it is to the overall health of the company.
In his response, Mr Padolny has primarily agreed with Mr Broughton and has also presented a solution to the problem. Mr Padolny talks about taking a more holistic approach towards teaching management skills to business students. He mentions Stanford, Yale, Ivey and Rotman as those business schools which have already adopted an integrative approach and he feels the philosphy of integrative thinking is what is needed for future MBA’s to be more adept at making moral management decisions keeping all details in sight.
This bodes well for future Rotman grads if they plan to travel south of the border after they graduate. The fact that Rotman is a known quantity and is mentioned along with the ‘crem del la creme’ of North American business schools should augur well for future grads. It should also give confidence to the current / prospective student body that choosing Rotman over other MBA schools in Canada is not a bad decision.
The full article can be read in the June 2009 issue of Harvard Business Review.
