The Education of Practicing Managers

The authors argue that contemporary management education does a disservice by standardizing content, focusing on business functions (instead of managing practices) and training specialists (rather than general managers). Working with several major international universities, the authors have develop...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:MIT Sloan management review 2004-07, Vol.45 (4), p.19
Main Authors: Gosling, Jonathan, Mintzberg, Henry
Format: Article
Language:eng
Subjects:
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The authors argue that contemporary management education does a disservice by standardizing content, focusing on business functions (instead of managing practices) and training specialists (rather than general managers). Working with several major international universities, the authors have developed a vision of management education that grounds MBA programs in practical experiences, shared insights and reflections. They suggest that management education be limited to working managers nominated by their companies, thus allowing them to apply their knowledge directly and immediately to actual management practice. They assert that business schools must make management education more directly applicable to a manger's own experiences, shaping the curriculum through interaction between instructor and student. They also recommend that mangers be encouraged to share with their work colleagues specific lessons derived from their education. The goal of this reshaping of management education, say the authors, is for business schools to fully integrate experience, theory and reflection, encouraging mangers to incorporate this philosophy directly into the daily functioning of their workplaces. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]
ISSN:1532-9194
1532-8937