Consulting Network » MBA http://www.consultingnetwork.co.in Fri, 13 Jan 2012 04:39:53 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 The Value of a Harvard or Wharton MBA Will Slide to Zero… http://www.consultingnetwork.co.in/the-value-of-a-harvard-or-wharton-mba-will-slide-to-zero/985/?utm_source=subscriber&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss http://www.consultingnetwork.co.in/the-value-of-a-harvard-or-wharton-mba-will-slide-to-zero/985/#comments Wed, 08 Jul 2009 16:26:37 +0000 Knowledge Seeker http://consultingnetwork.co.in/?p=985 The Financial Times has it’s 2009 listing of top global B-Schools and there is lots of talk about how the Great Recession has tarnished all B-Schools and their major product, the Masters of Business Administration (so many people are downloading it right now that i can’t link to it—wow). The FT argues that many of the top players in the economic debacle came out of Harvard and the top B-Schools. So something is wrong.

Well, the conclusion is right but the analysis is so tepidly wrong. Start with the degree— Masters of Business ADMINISTRATION. You administer to something in that doesn’t change very much over time. You create tools of analysis and execution that deal with making more

efficient choices of existing options. So you maximize incrementalism. You accept current culture and hierarchy as part of the given problem. And you learn from historic case studies, because they are still applicable to the current situation. That’s the MBA for you.

Now join me for the 21st century where none of that exists anymore. We live in beta–life is constantly changing. FOUR GREAT FORCES are keeping us in a field of volatile and continuous change: 1- the rise of Gen Y culture; 2- the fall of the US in global power; 3- the shift to an urban planet; 4- the digitalization of society.

How do we navigate a life lived in beta? Not by administering to it, but by designing it. By creating it. By building it. The MBA should be replaced by the MBD, the Masters of Business Design. Ryan Jacoby at IDEO’s New York office has just created his own MBD curriculum and it’s probably worth a couple of milliions in IP. If Harvard, Wharton or INSEAD were smart enough to adopt it.

Ryan gets to the essence of what we need today–ethnographic tools to understand and empathize with the needs and wants of the various digital, village, city cultures around the world; methods of framing and creating new options to give people what they desire; ways of designing new business models to deliver new products and services; the dynamics of collaboration and teaming to produce best/fast results; branding and emotional experiences; designing for sustainability; building innovation pipelines–and more. Two B-Schools, Stanford and the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto are moving toward a de facto Masters of Business Design. But the FT, as far as i can see, do not credit them in the rankings for this historic shift.

In the end, this is all about learning how to navigate uncertainty by attuning, adapting, creating. It’s learning to be part of a creative process, not delivering a finished product. it’s about having the skills of someone living in an unknown frontier. No Masters of Business ADMINISTRATION can do thst. Let’s try a Masters of Business Design. Way to go Ryan.

Source: BusinessWeek


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]]> http://www.consultingnetwork.co.in/the-value-of-a-harvard-or-wharton-mba-will-slide-to-zero/985/feed/ 0 Recent MBA and still Unemployed? http://www.consultingnetwork.co.in/recent-mba-and-still-unemployed/890/?utm_source=subscriber&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss http://www.consultingnetwork.co.in/recent-mba-and-still-unemployed/890/#comments Wed, 10 Jun 2009 09:56:50 +0000 Mohit http://consultingnetwork.co.in/?p=890 A friend of mine, a recent graduate from one of the premier business schools in India, called me, his predicament, he is an engineer from a tier-2 engineering college in India and an MBA, and yet, he has not managed to even remotely come close to a job offer

His business school finished the placement season few months back, after managing to place approximately 50 percent of the batch. He has knocked doors for most of the companies and yet has been unsuccessful.

Following is the advice I gave him, feel free to add your pointers or point mistakes in my advice in the comments section.

1. My friend LinkedIn – Firstly, remember that a professional networking site like LinkedIn is your best bet for landing a job in a tough market, If you don’t have a LinkedIn profile, it serves you best to create one, your LinkedIn profile serves as your public resume, secondly start using the LinkedIn Signature option in your emails. Lastly, scout for recruiting professionals, send them a polite message and cross your fingers.
2. Join a Non Profit – Do you feel strongly about a particular cause? Then this is the best time to support your favorite cause.  Run a project for a non profit, running a project end-to-end is equivalent to any high end job and provides you great exposure.
3. Build Brand “you”, Voice your opinion – If you feel strongly about a particular industry then why not start blogging about it?  Each one of us is a brand, and you are building that brand by writing about the industry you care about. This works for two reasons, firstly, it keeps you updated on events, a job search can be tiring and demotivating, especially if you are a recent MBA blogging/writing about your preferred industry or learning new skills keeps you in the game. Secondly, published content adds a lot of value to your resume, hence makes you stand out from your competition
4. Join/Build communities – Best place to network are focused communities in your area of expertise/interest, so if you are looking to break into the consulting industry, then Consulting Network India could be your first stop, similarly, if you’re interested in the marketing products/services, then go ahead and find a community focused on marketing professionals.
5. Follow the entrepreneurial route – Want to make it big? Great! , there are no jobs? Even better! Downturn can actually be a great time to visit your entrepreneurial roots. Think of possible small investment businesses, create a detailed business plan to support it, and start your venture. You don’t have anything to lose.

Remember, your job prospects may be low for now, considering the worldwide downturn, however, eventually, the job market is bound to get better. Your best bet is to survive the downturn and showcase your strength when the opportunity comes knocking.

Please feel free to email me at mohit.kant@consultingnetwork.co.in


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