EFMD Global Focus Vol.15, Issue 01 - EFMD Programme Accreditation: Past, Present and Future

The EFMD Business Magazine | Iss.1 Vol.15 | www.efmdglobal.org

EFMD Programme Accreditation: Past, Present and Future The Becoming of EFMD Accredited

Learning to lead How to steer a team through difficult times

Green responsibility From business education to the food on your table

Zoom school Virtual learning – is it really the future?

Missing the old?

What will be missing in the ‘ new normal’ online?

Screen talent How job fairs have moved online

Keeping score What management education can learn from soccer

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In focus | Global Focus

In focus Global Focus Iss.1 Vol.15 | 2021

W

elcome to this bumper 2021 edition of Global Focus. Unsurprisingly, it features more than a few references to COVID-19, exploring how the crisis affects management education and also what role business schools can play in tackling global challenges like this. Front and centre for many authors is the need to balance short-term responses with the long view of future impact.

In her article on the entrepreneurial mindset, Saleema Vellani (p26) argues that "the most significant economic variable of the past year […] has been change". In order to thrive in future, she suggests we will need “human creativity, teamwork and ingenuity”, and many articles here pay testament to these competencies. Gunther Friedl presents a timely instance of teamwork, collaborating with an industry partner to test contact-tracing tags on students in Munich (p90). Looking to the job market, Amber Wigmore Alvarez (p862) describes creative approaches to talent recruitment and careers fairs during the crisis.

Other articles include an examination of ‘good’ crisis leadership on p66 (Davies et al.) and an investigation of "short-term crisis responses” versus “more permanent adjustments" in business schools on p54 (Hommel et al.).

Developments in teaching and learning are also reflected, with articles about the now ubiquitous hybrid learning on p32 (Ladd and Roos) and p44 (Frattini), and a more cautious, historical take on e-learning on p98 (Bachmann).

Looking beyond the crisis, it is more important than ever to strengthen global collaborations and trust in science. Sustainability remains a central thread, with a report on Green Responsibility and the momentous launch of the world’s first school of Agri Management on p58 (Garcia and Alzueta), alongside news of other innovations in sustainability education on p74 (Aprea and Edinger-Schons) and p104 (Decamps et al.).

Another essential element of the long view of business schools is naturally the need to maximise impact and maintain quality. EFMD has a vital role to play here and we are therefore delighted to share with you a detailed feature (p14) setting out the key aspects of the long-awaited EFMD Accredited brand which is replacing EPAS. We invite you to read about our streamlined offerings including reflections and case studies from around the world. This development highlights our continued commitment to four cornerstones of management education – respect for diversity, the international dimension, responsible management, and connections with practice – core beliefs which, in fact, are reflected in many if not all of the pieces in this edition. We hope you enjoy it!

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Please address comments and ideas to Matthew Wood at EFMD: matthew.wood@efmdglobal.org

Matthew Wood Executive Editor

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Contents

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Global Focus The EFMD Business Magazine Iss.1 Vol.15 | 2021

Executive Editor Matthew Wood / matthew.wood@efmdglobal.org Advisory Board Eric Cornuel Howard Thomas John Peters Editorial Assistant Joanna Britton Design & Art Direction Jebens Design / www.jebensdesign.co.uk Photographs & Illustrations Jebens Design Ltd / EFMD unless otherwise stated

©

Editorial & Advertising Matthew Wood / matthew.wood@efmdglobal.org Telephone: +32 2 629 0810 www.globalfocusmagazine.com www.efmdglobal.org ©

EFMD

Rue Gachard 88 – Box 3, 1050 Brussels, Belgium

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Silver Linings Michael Osbaldeston and Adriana Kudrnová Lovera

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EFMD Programme Accreditation: Past, Present and Future Barbara Sporn, Robert Galliers and Jens Petter Tøndel

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Crisis as Opportunity Julie Davies, Nicola Palmer, Elena Braccia, Karen Clegg and Mark Smith

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Redefining Innovation and Entrepreneurship Saleema Vellani

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Hybrid classes transform learning Ted Ladd and Johan Roos

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An effectual approach to course design John Mullins and Arun Pereira

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The acceleration of digitalisation within education as a result of COVID-19 Federico Frattini

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Business School Advisory Boards Sarah Hardcastle

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Contents | Global Focus

66

104

54

86

58

90

Ambidexterity strengthens quality management during COVID-19 Ulrich Hommel, Björn Kjellander and Claire Thouary

Business Schools' Green Responsibility: Let's start at the table!

Santiago Garcia and Flavio Alzueta

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We call it Transpersonal!

John Knights

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Examining business school leadership Julie Davies, Ewan Ferlie, Heather McLaughlin and Howard Thomas

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Recruiting and Talent Development in a Post COVID-19 World Amber Wigmore Alvarez

Fighting COVID-19 with technology Gunther Friedl

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Building a sustainable online strategy post COVID-19?

Ginny Gibson, Stephanie Lambert and Anne Swanberg

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What is 'new' about disruption?

Bernhard Bachmann

104

Sustainability Games Carmela Aprea and Laura Marie Edinger-Schons

Real Sulitest –Fostering sustainability literacy for all Aurelien Decamps, Estela Castelli Florino Pilz, Jean-Christophe Carteron and Marcela Folloni

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Collaborate locally for enhanced benefits Samir Dani, Colin Rigby and Emma Bonfiglio

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The QTEM Global Business Analytics Challenge (GBAC) and Why it Matters Anne Vaxelaire

What business schools can learn from team sports Ahmed Abdel-Meguid, Ulrich Hommel and Benjamin Stévenin

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The Future of MBAs Sotiris Karagiannis, Saša Žiković and Ivana Marinkovic

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The evolving role of the ‘Professions’ Ansgar Richter

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Internationalisation, accreditation and the pandemic – Michael Osbaldeston and Adriana Kudrnová Lovera look at the potential benefits that may emerge from the current challenges

Silver linings

T

he internationalisation of higher education has been on the agendas of national governments and university leaders around the world for decades, but the topic has achieved greater prominence in recent years due to the increasing realisation that universities have a responsibility to prepare students for leadership roles in a global world. There are different reasons for this: the issues faced by employers are increasingly global; companies and NGOs are increasingly organised internationally with a global focus; and students have increasingly been taking an international perspective when choosing where to study, often deliberately choosing to go abroad. Greater international awareness of issues such as climate change, geopolitics, poverty, inequality and radicalisation has enhanced the international debate within the academy and led us to re-examine the ways in which internationalisation is conceptualised, systematised and operationalised within the strategic development of most universities.

While the current coronavirus pandemic has been a profound shock to many of these strategies, traditional approaches to international education already faced challenges due to concerns about sustainability, environmental impact, elitism and other ethical considerations.

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What Is Internationalisation?

Knight’s 2003 definition of internationalisation as “the process of integrating an international, intercultural or global dimension into the purpose, functions and delivery of post-secondary education” has been widely applied. More recently, Knight acknowledged that her original definition has the weakness that “traditional values associated with internationalisation such as partnerships, collaboration, mutual benefit and exchange are not articulated – only assumed”. The description was thus expanded, with the addition of “in order to enhance the quality of education and research for all students and staff and to make a meaningful contribution to society” (by De Wit). There is an increasing focus on how internationalisation contributes to outreach, social responsibility and engagement, but a recent European report (TEFCE) notes that “in the absence of prioritising engagement over research excellence ..., some universities have failed to develop the appropriate infrastructures to translate the knowledge they produce into the range of contexts ...” Assessments of internationalisation have generally focused on structural issues such as relevant research and publications, student and faculty diversity, international partners and networks, and international corporate connections. Yet there is an argument for rebalancing attention towards processes that are more outcomerelated, with more focus on the development of international relevance and outreach.

Silver linings | Michael Osbaldeston and Adriana Kudrnovรก Lovera

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Internationalisation of Management Education Although there have been university-based business schools for over a century, it is only in the last fifty years that they have become one of the major success stories in higher education, both from an academic perspective – faculty, research and publications – and a business one – customers, revenue and profitability. In recent decades, business schools have spread rapidly from North America through Europe to Asia and beyond, currently numbering over 15,000 worldwide with new additions being launched almost daily, particularly in emerging economies. Yet despite this success, there has also been increasing criticism in recent years, fuelled in part by the frustrations of the global economic recession. Business schools have been charged with being too analytical, insular and theoretical; insufficiently global, integrative and collaborative; and lacking in values, ethics and social responsibility. It is hardly surprising, then, that many leading schools have increasingly turned their attention to internationalisation to expand their reach and demonstrate their worth. In addition to the global issues that affect higher education generally, faculty and students in management education tend to be more mobile internationally, and while they accept higher costs they also expect higher benefits (for example, some MBAs are the highest-priced but also the most sought-after Master’s degrees in the world). As management education has become increasingly competitive, it has become crucial to use internationalisation to enhance differentiation, with an array of different international strategies being employed. At the same time, management research disseminated through journal publications, books, case and learning materials, has become increasingly cross-cultural.

Internationalisation and Accreditation The accreditation of management education started over a century ago with a focus on North American schools, later followed by other programme accreditation systems limited to specific countries. It was not until the 1990s that the growing demand for a European approach to accreditation led the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD, originally founded in 1971) to seize the initiative and work towards the launch of the European Quality 6

Improvement System (EQUIS) in 1997. EQUIS was designed to provide business schools in Europe – and later worldwide – with a rigorous tool to assess and improve quality in all aspects of their operations. Over a relatively short period of time, EQUIS has enabled an elite group of institutions (currently 191 schools in 45 countries) to state with confidence that they are part of the “1% of leading business schools”. It was not long before EFMD also launched the European Programme Accreditation System (EPAS) in 2005 – recently rebranded as EFMD Programme Accreditation – with 120 programmes currently accredited at 89 institutions across 35 countries. After more than twenty years of continuous development, the Financial Times stated that five-year accreditation from EQUIS is now regarded as “the gold standard” for international business school accreditation.

EQUIS aims to recognise quality and promote quality assessment in the world’s best business schools – through the award of a quality label that is valued worldwide by students, faculty, employers and the media (having now become a prerequisite for entry into some prestigious rankings) – and also recognise improvement through the need to meet and continue to achieve internationally agreed quality standards. From the start, EQUIS

15k

In recent decades, business schools have spread rapidly from North America through Europe to Asia and beyond, currently numbering over 15,000 worldwide with new additions being launched almost daily, particularly in emerging economies

Silver linings | Michael Osbaldeston and Adriana Kudrnová Lovera

Although there have been university-based business schools for over a century, it is only in the last fifty years that they have become one of the major success stories in higher education

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EFMD also launched the European Programme Accreditation System (EPAS) in 2005 – recently rebranded as EFMD Programme Accreditation – with 120 programmes currently accredited at 89 institutions across 35 countries

was conceived as an accreditation system rooted in respect for diversity of institutional and cultural contexts. It does not promote any ‘one best model’ of a business school, but rather embraces higher education at all levels without imposing standardisation of programme design, course content or delivery mode. However, it is also firmly grounded on several transversal issues, one of which is looking for an international dimension throughout a school’s activities. Although EQUIS was originally designed within a European context, it has also recognised the dilemmas that result from applying universal standards in widely differing international contexts and the system has thus evolved to ensure that it can be applied in all regions of the world, especially in rapidly emerging economies.

The criterion of 'respect for diversity' is a particular case in point. While EQUIS is designed to promote diversity of all types, it also inevitably reflects the nature of diversity encountered within its originating geographical region. Assessment of quality begins with an understanding of the particularities of the local context before progressing to assess international application across all dimensions and thus ensuring it is possible to recognise top-level business schools in Europe, Asia and the Americas. However, this inherent flexibility does not imply any lowering of expectations regarding quality standards because of local constraints. Rather it is a feature of an assessment process capable of accepting wide differences in the organisation and delivery of management education across the world.

At the heart of EQUIS accreditation is an issue which has engendered continuous debate since its foundation: exactly what is meant by the term 'internationalisation' and how best do we assess it? Internationalisation has often been perceived as being reflected in the mix of nationalities amongst students and faculty, together with advisory board members, partner schools and recruiting organisations. While a school’s cultural diversity,

Internationalisation: Illustrative Mini Case Studies Maastricht University (the Netherlands) Mission To help students develop the competencies and character strengths to serve as ethical leaders, innovative researchers, or empathic professionals who can help create conditions that mitigate some of the many problems the world faces including inequality, poverty, migration and the climate crisis.

The university aims to move beyond the assumption that merely bringing together people from different countries and cultures will make students into global citizens. Rather, the university has chosen a more intentional approach to ensure that education in an international classroom purposefully promotes meaningful interaction. Supported by a grant from the Dutch government, UM students and teachers identified an 'evolving' framework structured around three pillars: global literacy (systems thinking), social responsibility (normative competence) and transformative engagement. Each pillar includes knowledge elements, skills and attitudes/characteristics.

The university seeks to integrate into the curriculum its hallmarks of problem-based learning, work-integrated experiential learning, and students engaging with stakeholders on internal and community projects. Students also benefit from teaching tools for individual competencies, as well as support for student-led initiatives via grants and coaching.

More www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/global-citizenshipeducation/global-citizenship-education

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measured by nationality, is of course important, a much deeper understanding of internationalisation results from an assessment of how a school has adapted its education and research to an increasingly global managerial world (and, an issue which we will return to later, how a school responds to unexpected international shocks such as the current global pandemic). Further, deeper evidence of the degree of internationalisation can be reflected, for instance, by research that explores international challenges, education that incorporates an international curriculum and is accessible across the world, and exposure that encourages international mobility and employment. In the same broader context, other more recent developments such as the growth of joint programmes in business schools, the dissemination of online learning methodologies, the establishment of satellite campuses, increasing institutional collaboration and partnerships, and the emergence of mergers and other forms of restructuring (many of which have taken place across international boundaries) all need to be considered if we wish to understand and assess this complex and multi-faceted concept.

A Broader Interpretation of Internationalisation In order to assist academic leaders and accreditation reviewers alike in assessing the degree of internationalisation of a business school, EQUIS developed a model (first launched in 2018) which encourages us to think beyond nationality mix and incorporate a wider range of international measures, grouped into four broad categories: • Policy issues influencing the whole school • Content aspects of the learning and development process • Context issues resulting from the experience of the various stakeholders, and • Elements of the wider Network to which the school belongs Each category encompasses three further dimensions (all included within the EQUIS Quality Profile). When assessed on a simple low/medium/ high scale, these produce an overall profile of the extent of a school’s internationalisation, together with its relative strengths and areas for further improvement. This model (which has become colloquially known as the 'Spider Diagram') also enables a school to demonstrate its international 8

quality improvement journey over time with past vs present profiles, or to illustrate its future international strategic objectives with present vs planned future profiles.

Policy 1. Strategy – does the school have a welldefined strategy for internationalisation together with plans and resources for its implementation?

2. Recognition/Reputation – what is the competitiveness, recognition and ranking of the school in international markets?

3. Governance/Advisory Board – is there an international dimension in the school’s governance and advisory system?

Content 4. Curriculum/Learning Resources – what are the international perspectives, content and resources of the school’s qualification and executive education programmes and how is the learning made accessible/disseminated internationally?

5. Research and Development – what are the international scope, dissemination and recognition of the school’s R&D? 6. Competencies – are global-mindedness and cultural sensitivity developed, is language learning provided and is English widely used for learning materials, teaching and publication?

Context 7. Faculty/Visiting Professors – what is the intercultural and experience mix of core, adjunct and visiting faculty?

8. Students/Exchanges/Alumni – what is the intercultural mix of degree-seeking and exchange students and the international spread of alumni?

9. Professional Staff – is there an international/ partnerships/exchanges office with an intercultural mix of professional staff?

Network 10. Executive Education/Clients/Recruiters – does the school have international corporate links with clients/employers, including international companies with domestic offices?

Silver linings | Michael Osbaldeston and Adriana Kudrnová Lovera

Internationalisation: Illustrative Mini Case Studies CEIBS (China) Vision To become the most respected international business school by linking East and West in teaching, research, and business practice and by promoting China’s social and economic development through high-impact knowledge creation and dissemination.

11. Alliances/Partners – what is the quality of the school’s international academic partners, strategic alliances and professional networks?

12. Activities Abroad – what is the school’s level and quality of internationalisation outside its home country, such as satellite campuses, joint programmes and franchised provisioning (where applicable)?

Although participating schools have generally welcomed this broader interpretation of internationalisation within the EQUIS (and EPAS) accreditation system, there continue to be ongoing pressures to redefine standards, introduce new areas of assessment and continuously evolve processes to reflect and even anticipate developments in management education; none more so than in the context of the current coronavirus pandemic. As was announced at the EFMD 2020 Deans’ Conference, the Quality Services team is currently using external sources and EQUIS data to further research and publicise the benefits and challenges of internationalisation.

These relate to schools becoming more international, the intersection of internationalisation

China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) was co-founded by the Chinese government and European Union in 1994, with Shanghai Jiao Tong University and the EFMD as executive partners. CEIBS is uniquely positioned to benefit from both European and Chinese know-how. It was the first business school in mainland China with its own campus. The school's “China Depth, Global Breadth” maxim was adopted 10 years ago, but has been long evident in many facets of the school, including its governance comprised of 50 percent Chinese and 50 percent non-Chinese. CEIBS has become an attractive option for students who want to understand China in the context of a global economy; noteworthy is its requirement for foreign MBA students to learn Chinese.

When discussing the Africa campus, Dean Ding Yuan says that “CEIBS is the only top business school from an emerging market which can provide Africans with substantial insight into how to do business in another emerging market." In addition to Africa, CEIBS is focused on strengthening its ties in the US and Europe. In 2019, the school celebrated its 25th anniversary by establishing a new European gateway campus in Zurich. CEIBS had more than 24,000 alumni, with 64 chapters of its Alumni Association around the world.

More https://globalfocusmagazine.com/wp-content/ uploads/2016/07/Issue_2_2012_jquelch_ceibs.pdf https://bit.ly/2Kt48d7

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Internationalisation: Illustrative Mini Case Studies SKEMA (France) – Multi-campus Structure Vision To offer students a truly global and multicultural experience by combining academic life with international professional experience.

SKEMA was founded in 2009 following a merger between two French institutions in the face of government reforms and increasing financial pressure. Given the increasing competition for local and international students, a merger might enable the schools to thrive and pursue their shared dream of becoming a truly global business school. The schools had to navigate the challenges of forming a single school: losing their unique brands and having to establish shared governance and standards, and a single identity and strategy in pursuit of a global multi-campus school. Working together, the schools leveraged their respective competencies and developed new synergies: they now had a larger pool of resources, partnerships abroad, and were able to eliminate duplicate costs in terms of HR, marketing, etc. The school boasts multi-site programmes that offer mobility, professional expertise and interdisciplinary programmes (technology-management).

SKEMA has set up additional campuses in "scientific hubs" and is continuously looking for synergy with the school's local environments in terms of research and business partnerships.

The school proactively involves global companies in their governance, programmes, research, incubators, etc. With seven campuses in Brazil, China, France, South Africa and the US, SKEMA offers more than 50 programmes and boasts over 8,500 students of 120 different nationalities.

More https://globalfocusmagazine.com/wp-content/ uploads/2015/10/Issue__3_2015_SKEMA.pdf

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and the ethics, responsibility and sustainability transversal standards, and the diverse strategies which schools adopt to increase their internationalisation in widely different national contexts and regions.

The research findings will be used to identify new opportunities and strengthen current dimensions of internationalisation, to raise awareness of the challenges and potential pitfalls of becoming more international, to highlight successful strategies to internationalise despite local limitations, and to disseminate illustrative case studies drawn from schools around the world. In addition, a Digitalisation Task Force has been established, with the support of an Internationalisation Working Party, to draw on the experiences of EQUIS Deans from across the world in relation to the benefits of digitalisation for international management research and education and the consequences of online learning for students and faculty. This project may also lead to an evolution in the language of internationalisation towards 'participation and experience' and away from ideas of 'enrolment and exchange'. The current and rapid transition seen in many business schools from a classroom to a virtual learning environment necessitated by the pandemic will also have major consequences for how we understand internationalisation.

Silver linings | Michael Osbaldeston and Adriana Kudrnová Lovera

Some large graduate schools have focused on developing programmes in a single location where everything is designed from an international perspective – curriculum, faculty, students, research agenda, etc – such that the national base is largely irrelevant to their operations. These schools have developed a truly international community where no single nationality predominates

Internationalisation Strategies More than twenty years of accreditation experience drawn from across the world has clearly demonstrated that there is no ‘one best model’ for internationalising a business school. Rather there are a variety of successful strategies, depending upon the scope, size, resources and location of a school (as illustrated by the brief case examples ‘boxed’ throughout this text). However, some of these approaches may be more affected than others by the constraints imposed by the current pandemic, especially approaches that rely heavily on international recruitment and exchange of students and faculty across borders. While it is too early to assess whether these will become permanent barriers, some schools are responding to the current context by re-evaluating the longterm viability of their internationalisation strategies and searching for new opportunities.

Some large graduate schools have focused on developing programmes in a single location where everything is designed from an international perspective – curriculum, faculty, students, research agenda, etc – such that the national base is largely irrelevant to their operations.

These schools have developed a truly international community where no single nationality predominates. Others, perhaps originally based in a single European location, chose a different path, establishing a subsequent ‘sister’ school in a different geographical region. Here, students and faculty can be recruited initially to either site and then move seamlessly between the dual locations to experience the contrasting cultural settings.

Another option is schools which have invested in supporting fledgling institutions, often located in developing countries, with financial, human and managerial resources, then withdrawing at a later stage once the new school has gained sufficient

strength and independence. A variation on this latter model is an international joint venture where an established school or foundation in one region of the world initiates a joint project with one or more other partners, working together to build a new institution from scratch in another region in order to enhance management education provision globally.

A more complex multi-campus strategy involves establishing a global network of interlinked campuses, either on a stand-alone basis or in partnership with other schools in each region, where students can be globally mobile, transferring from one location to another to complete their studies on the basis of international credit accumulation. Faculty may contribute to research and teaching in any or all of the locations or choose to develop their careers by periodically moving between locations. A somewhat less complex model involves selected partnerships where an independent school chooses to work with a variety of international partners (often using their accreditation status for selection) to develop different activities such as research networks, joint programmes or student exchange facilities. Some of these partnership programmes are now so well established that they are assessed as delivering a higher quality of education than any one of the partner schools could provide alone. Yet another option is independent schools which may choose to be nationally based but internationally open, by encouraging an influx of international exchange students and visiting faculty and promoting overseas faculty secondments to build an ever-changing international community. The demand from Chinese and Indian students in particular to study abroad, especially at postgraduate level, has encouraged many schools in Europe and Australasia to expand internationally on this basis.

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Internationalisation: Current and Anticipated Effects of the Pandemic The onset of the coronavirus pandemic raised new questions about current approaches to internationalisation. Efforts to contain the spread of infection, including domestic lockdowns, international travel restrictions and campus closures, have left many international students in limbo, while many institutions have adapted quickly to continue their activities online. This rapid transition to virtual learning which can then be disseminated worldwide, accompanied by pedagogical training for faculty to support the revision of their teaching methodologies, are to be applauded. Yet at the same time, many international and exchange students have sought greater safety and security by returning to their home countries. In tandem, accreditation bodies, ranking agencies and business school associations have been sharing experience and best practices in response to this educational disruption in order to provide a ‘collaborative platform of knowledge and solidarity’. Beyond these short-term impacts, institutions are now grappling with the implications for some internationalisation strategies, in particular those which focus on the international mobility of students and faculty.

Prior to the pandemic, many universities, particularly those in Australia, the UK and the USA, were becoming increasingly dependent on income from international students, who in some cases pay higher fees than their local counterparts.

Figures published in January 2020 show that in 2017-2018, Chinese student fees provided £1.7 billion GBP to UK higher education institutions, comprising around five percent of all income.

Institutions with a large percentage of international students risk a major loss of tuition fee income due to the pandemic, with a decrease in international student enrolment. For example, the worldrenowned London School of Economics, like many schools, has invested heavily in international recruitment, has a student body of more than two thirds international students and could stand to lose a substantial proportion of its fee income if enrolments were to drop significantly.

A March 2020 survey from Studyportals found that a majority of prospective students (73 percent) who had planned to enrol in courses abroad in the 12

following six months were continuing with the same study plans; the remaining students (27 percent) were considering postponing their studies or enrolling in online courses. A more recent survey in October 2020 by Times Higher Education found that over 50 percent of prospective international students are considering changing their plans and now wish to postpone their studies or study in a different country. More than half of students surveyed were not interested in studying online, and 53 percent still hoped to travel abroad for their studies in the near future.

Whether prospective international students will choose to study locally in the future remains uncertain. However, it is possible that the pandemic, together with other factors, may indeed change the flows of students to different countries. In August 2020, a survey by IIE found that more than half of 520 US institutions have seen a decline in international student applications in 2020 compared to the previous year, and some experts are warning that higher education institutions in the US may see a minimum 30 percent decline in international student enrolment in the coming academic year. In addition to the restrictions of movement across borders imposed by the pandemic, students intending to study abroad could be put off by ever tighter visa requirements, a backlog of visas to be processed, and ‘unwelcoming’ or even discriminatory experiences reported over recent months by foreign students in

1.7bn

Figures published in January 2020 show that in 2017-2018, Chinese student fees provided £1.7 billion GBP to UK higher education institutions, comprising around five percent of all income

Silver linings | Michael Osbaldeston and Adriana Kudrnová Lovera

Internationalisation: Illustrative Mini Case Studies IE Spain Slogan To reinvent higher education

50%+

A recent survey in October 2020 by Times Higher Education found that over 50 percent of prospective international students are considering changing their plans and now wish to postpone their studies or study in a different country

some countries. Furthermore, the perception that some countries have better managed the pandemic may also sway student plans. Countries such as New Zealand and Australia may increase their share of international students globally as a result of their relatively successful containment of the virus. Other anglophone countries such as Canada may also benefit from their moreliberal immigration and post-study regulations.

Whatever the short-term problems, some commentators have suggested that a ‘silver lining’ may emerge for business schools from the current challenges. The business education ecosystem may develop its own immune system, with more flexible, innovative and collaborative international strategies.

Schools may become more resilient, more relevant and better prepared for future disruption, while students may be more open, more selective and increasingly flexible in how they plan their international management education.

Over the last 25 years, Madrid-based IE has heavily invested in technological innovation.

The school is modelled around four pillars: technological immersion and a culture of innovation; an entrepreneurial mindset; humanities to understand the world; and a diversity of nationalities, cultures and ideas.

With a largely international student body, the school has had to adapt quickly to travel restrictions during the Covid crisis. IE announced a new liquid learning model, in which students have the option to attend class either in person or online. Classrooms have been equipped to become 'hybrid', with cameras, microphones, and even large screens that help 'bring in' students who connect online. Prior to the pandemic, the school had already developed a highly interactive classroom, the WoW (Window on the World) Room, a virtual classroom consisting of a 45 square metre videowall made up of 48 monitors arranged in a U shape. The WoW Room allows students to connect and collaborate no matter where they are. The school's pioneering spirit today makes it an outstanding leader of innovative learning models. Since 2002, over 3,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students have participated in online modules every year.

More www.ie.edu/university/news-events/news/wow-roomtakes-ies-commitment-to-technology-immersion-inlearning-environments-to-the-next-level/

About the Authors Michael Osbaldeston, Senior Advisor, Quality Services, EFMD and Former Dean, Cranfield University School of Management Adriana Kudrnová Lovera, Manager, EQUIS, EFMD

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EFMD Programme Accreditation: Past, Present and Future The Becoming of EFMD Accredited

by Barbara Sporn, Robert Galliers and Jens Petter Tøndel

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EFMD Programme Accreditation: Past, Present and Future | Barbara Sporn, Robert Galliers and Jens Petter Tøndel

A

fter fifteen years of successful programme accreditation under the EPAS label, the EFMD Board convened in the spring of 2019 to discuss the programme’s future direction and decided to rebrand and further develop EPAS into EFMD Accredited. Why that move?

First, there was strong appreciation of the accumulated programme expertise of EFMD Quality Services, relating to the full spectrum of business school programmes from Bachelor degree level all the way to PhD programmes.

The Board also valued the various different delivery modes used in the classroom, online and via practical experience in organisations. These assets should thus be made more visible to the market through a brand that can showcase the accredited programme more specifically.

Second, for decades EFMD has been the lead agency for the accreditation of business and management schools and programmes worldwide.

The intention now is to strengthen EFMD as a brand even further and expand its programme accreditation system. Over the next year or so, EFMD Accredited will replace the EPAS brand as the recognised label for top-quality and internationally-positioned programmes.

Third, and very importantly, many business schools felt the need to combine programme and institutional accreditation – with EPAS and EQUIS – but this has not been possible… until now. With the new EFMD programme accreditation system, existing EQUIS schools can seek accreditation for their flagship and/or innovative programmes while newly-accredited EQUIS schools can retain the hard-won EFMD Accredited label when gaining EQUIS accreditation.

The EFMD Accredited process allows schools to highlight selected programmes strategically.

In doing so it contributes to schools’ positioning.

Even more importantly, it sends strong signals internally and enables the development and identification of processes that strengthen cooperation within the programme, its quality and its prospects.

Prof. Dr. Thomas Bieger Former President, University of St. Gallen, Switzerland

Being EFMD Accredited for a specific programme is a guarantee that the programme has been thoroughly scrutinised by peers and experts. It is also a way to demonstrate the robustness of our programmes. It can be carried out for different reasons depending on how a business school’s portfolio of programmes evolves over time. The EFMD programme accreditation system is clearly filling a strategic need in the current offering of programme evaluation.

Professor Frank Bournois PhD Dean, ESCP Business School, France Key values of EFMD programme accreditation Against this background, EFMD programme accreditation retains four key values as building blocks: • Respect for diversity We believe in, and respect, different models of business programmes and business schools in our assessment and accreditation system.

• An international dimension We believe in the international dimension of business programmes, both regarding the student learning experience and the mix of faculty. The EFMD programme accreditation system sees programme internationalisation and multicultural aspects as key features.

• Responsible management We believe in the importance of ethics, sustainability and responsibility. Different elements should be embedded in each programme’s policies, operations, teaching and research.

• Connections with practice We believe in the practical relevance of programmes and look for practice-based learning experiences for students through project work, internships and the like. On top of that, the relevance of business programmes is illustrated and facilitated by the involvement of senior management and professional practitioners in governance structures, programme development, delivery and research endeavours.

In a nutshell, since 1 September 2020, EFMD programme accreditation – under the label EFMD Accredited – has become a reality. EFMD Accredited offers schools the benefit of on-going 15

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development of programme expertise and institutional positioning delivered by a team of experts, made possible through EFMD’s strong grounding thanks to the successful history of EPAS. The EFMD Accredited process allows for a thorough evaluation of a programme, in both breadth and depth. The standards concern all the aspects of the programme’s life cycle.

While demanding, they are inspiring as they provide extremely valuable guidance for further development. Meeting these standards guarantees that the programme, whether it is in its early stages of development or is more mature, is strategically relevant; that it has a cutting-edge and forward-thinking curriculum; a well-rounded and innovative pedagogy, and strong ties with business practice. All these features contribute to the best possible learner experience and career development opportunities.

Professor Alice Guilhon PhD Dean, SKEMA Business School, France The EFMD Accredited process is invaluable in ensuring our MBA remains up-to-date and aligned with global best practice. It provides an opportunity for reflection and renewal, as well as assuring students that the quality of their degree is internationally recognised.

Professor Nigel de Bussy PhD Pro Vice-Chancellor, Faculty of Business and Law Dean, Curtin Business School, Curtin University, Australia EPAS: A Distinctive Success Story EPAS was launched in 2005 with the purpose of helping enhance business and management education through a rigorous peer review system of programme accreditation. The process was designed to complement the institutional accreditation that had been launched eight years previously under the EQUIS banner. Currently, 120 programmes have been accredited, representing 89 institutions across 35 countries and 5 continents.

The aggregate total of accreditations since 2005 is much larger, however, in part as a result of the prior embargo on EQUIS-accredited schools retaining their EPAS accreditation(s). Indeed, over the years a total of 187 programmes or programme sets from 126 schools have been accredited. The figure right 16

200 180 160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0

0

0

2005 Schools visited

36

48

2010

77

113

2015

116

173

2020

Programmes reviewed

Figure 1 Growth of Peer Review Visits undertaken (and programmes reviewed) for each five year period since 2005

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120 programmes are currently accredited, representing 89 institutions across 35 countries and 5 continents

EFMD Programme Accreditation: Past, Present and Future | Barbara Sporn, Robert Galliers and Jens Petter Tøndel

gives an indication of the growth in the number of Peer Review Visits undertaken (and programmes reviewed) for each five year period since 2005 (including the small number of visits that did not lead to accreditation).

Like EQUIS, EPAS has always respected diversity while at the same time emphasising continuous improvement and academic rigour. Diversity is a core value of EFMD and thus also for EPAS. There is no one 'right' model for a business school and it is therefore important to be sensitive to the local and regional context. While pedagogical approaches and programme content may well differ depending on the context, quality is always paramount.

The EPAS journey has been one of discovery and growth with emphasis on continuous quality improvement. It has allowed the programme team to reflect on the student learning experience in a systematic and innovative way.

With internationalisation and responsible management at its core, the accreditation standards and criteria were successfully adapted to the strategic significance of the programme and the context in which the school operates.

Professor Gioia Pescetto PhD Former Executive Dean, Portsmouth Business School, UK Given intense international competition, EPAS has been indicative of the high quality of both programmes and institutions. In the face of so much choice among programmes and universities, accreditation has become a yardstick with which to judge the quality of the service we offer. Most high-quality universities will only partner with universities with recognised status.

Such status, therefore, adds to the value of our degrees and is beneficial to graduates in terms of their career development and salary prospects.

Professor Sami Saarenketo DSc Dean, School of Business and Management, Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology (LUT), Finland A particularly distinctive and challenging feature of EPAS is that it sets appropriate and consistent intended learning outcomes (ILOs), both at the programme and individual course levels, and also establishes appropriate assessment regimes. It is

thus necessary to define ILOs for the key EFMD programme accreditation standards, one of which concerns internationalisation. It is essential that all accredited programmes offer students a strong international learning experience, instilling in them the ability to appreciate and operate in multicultural settings, thereby developing the skills to become international managers. Students should gain their international learning experience both at home and abroad, either physically and/or virtually. This has implications for the learning objectives, the curriculum, the mix of faculty, the mix and mobility of students and the number and quality of a school’s international partners. This strong focus on international experience was in line with the underlying rationale of the Bologna Accord, which was signed around the time of the EPAS launch.

EPAS is a tool we have used to better understand and develop our programmes through a process of self-improvement and peer evaluation.

Accreditation is not just a badge but significantly brings programmatic change and improvement.

It also serves as a starting point for us to prepare for school accreditation through EQUIS. As a result of the EPAS process we were able to introduce successful initiatives not just in programmes but throughout the school.

Professor Pasu Decharin PhD Former Dean, Chulalongkorn Business School, Thailand Getting involved in an accreditation process with EFMD is a demanding, challenging but very constructive experience. The programme faculty find in it a unique opportunity to question and validate the fundamentals on which the programme is based. EPAS has made a contribution of enormous value to continuous improvement.

Professor Pablo Regent Vitale PhD Dean, IEEM Escuela de Negocios, Universidad de Montevideo, Uruguay Since the outset, schools have also been required to make ethics, responsibility and sustainability, or ERS, an integral part of their curriculum in order to achieve EPAS accreditation.

This transversal emphasis on ERS has been a major factor in educating responsible managers who understand the ethical and sustainable 17

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North America

Europe

3

8

Africa Central / South America

99 Asia

2

3

Oceania Australia

5

Figure 2 EFMD Accredited programmes by region

behaviour required in today’s business world – a concern that was often lacking before and during the 2008 financial crisis.

To play a key role in organisations upon graduation, students also need to develop analytical skills and apply their theoretical knowledge in practice. Hence, classroom learning should be combined with practical learning experiences and appropriate ILOs are required here as well. EFMD programme accreditation – through the EPAS process – has contributed significantly over the years to students’ development of analytical and decision-making competencies thanks to its strong focus on involving senior practitioners in both programme governance and advisory bodies, alongside contributing to teaching and learning opportunities.

Initially, EPAS was a European initiative with mainly European business schools going through the accreditation process. Today, however, EPAS has become increasingly global, with approximately 20% of the accredited programmes now being delivered outside Europe. The proportion of accredited programmes at non-European business schools has been increasing steadily, and is expected to rise significantly under the EFMD Accredited banner.

In sum, for fifteen years, the EPAS process has ensured that EFMD programme accreditation is a quality indicator across borders for students, for business schools and for business and professional organisations and associations. As such, EPAS has been a driver of change in the development and 18

dissemination of business and management programme excellence worldwide.

Programme management and expertise From the start, EFMD programme accreditation has also had a strong focus on programme management and excellence. Peer Review Team members are carefully selected for their programme expertise and their prior experience. Their task is to contribute relevant ideas for the on-going development and improvement of each programme, and this is a key feature of the review process. As indicated above, EFMD has always firmly believed in the importance of balancing academic with practical elements. For this reason, as with EQUIS and EPAS, the EFMD Accredited Peer Review Team will always have one member with considerable managerial and/or professional experience. Having a representative from the world of practice on the Peer Review Team sets EFMD accreditation apart from other accreditation agencies.

Engaging in an on-going improvement process with EFMD programme accreditation ensures that the programme will benefit from a comprehensive and thorough analysis of standards and criteria led by international experts in management.

An EFMD Accredited programme pledges its students, alumni, academics and global partners to commit to best practices and to make an impact through an inclusive community. Part of the accreditation journey is also opening

20%

Today, EPAS has become increasingly global, with approximately 20% of the accredited programmes now being delivered outside Europe

EFMD Programme Accreditation: Past, Present and Future | Barbara Sporn, Robert Galliers and Jens Petter Tøndel

doors to trusted worldwide peers and experts to demonstrate that the school is providing students with exceptional education by continuously improving academic rigour and excellence, employability, internationalisation and research.

Professor Hervé Penan PhD Directeur, Toulouse School of Management, (TSM), Université Toulouse Capitole, France

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Since 2007, 22 schools from 12 different countries (accounting for 24 programmes) have given up EPAS accreditation as a result of gaining EQUIS accreditation

'EFMD Accredited' and EQUIS: A happy marriage Back in 2007, the Amsterdam School of Business (ASB) was the first school to gain EQUIS accreditation after already achieving EPAS accreditation for one of its programmes, its Master in International Finance. Following the EFMD policy at the time, the school gave up its EPAS accreditation as a result. Since 2007, 22 schools from 12 different countries (accounting for 24 programmes) have given up EPAS accreditation as a result of gaining EQUIS accreditation. Now, since the Board’s recent decision, two EQUIS accredited schools – SKEMA and ESCP – have already entered the pilot process to obtain EFMD programme accreditation, and their respective MBA programmes are now EFMD Accredited. Other reviews in this pilot phase took place, with around eight EQUIS schools deciding to enter. More EQUIS schools are expected to enter EFMD Programme Accreditation over the coming months.

EPAS accreditation was the starting point of a tremendously useful learning process, providing an international perspective for programme development while offering valuable insight as to the institutional aspects of accreditation. The fact that both our initially nominated programmes received EPAS accreditation straightaway gave our team the encouragement to obtain EQUIS accreditation, leading to substantial improvements in our entire institution.

Professor Dr. Zita Zoltay Paprika Former VP of International Relations and Accreditations and former Dean, Corvinus Business School, Corvinus University of Budapest, Hungary EFMD thus now offers a happy marriage between EQUIS and EFMD Accredited, providing school and programme accreditation respectively. First, EQUIS schools can now seek accreditation for their ‘flagship’ programmes or for programmes that are relatively new,

or that are undergoing changes or further development. Second, schools that initially sought EPAS accreditation prior to seeking EQUIS accreditation can now retain accreditation for their key programmes.

The Future Looking ahead, EFMD programme accreditation, under the EFMD Accredited banner, has a bright future ahead despite numerous current and future challenges such as the Corona pandemic, increased digitalisation, and the question of internationalisation. 36 programmes are currently in the pipeline for review, of which 16 are from outside Europe.

The EFMD Programme Accreditation Team is ready to address these challenges by maintaining a constant dialogue with our member schools. In addition, the team is responsible for a fluid process of respecting our standards and criteria on the one hand, while being responsive and adaptive to the changing needs of schools on the other. In this respect, online peer reviews are being offered for the time being and we continue to invest in developing our online expertise. Additionally, we are reacting flexibly to issues associated with the restructuring and reconfiguration taking place In business schools.

Regarding internationalisation, we can offer insights into new forms of networks and new alternatives for implementing student mobility. It is important to keep our systems active while at the same time responding to specific situations and needs. All this is being done with a sense of service to the community and the shared common goal of helping schools from around the world to keep improving the quality of their programmes.

EFMD’s Programme Accreditation Team is on hand to support institutions during all aspects of the accreditation process. We look forward to hearing from you.

About the Authors Barbara Sporn is Director, EFMD Programme Accreditation Robert Galliers is Senior Advisor, EQUIS and EFMD Programme Accreditation Jens Petter Tøndel is Senior Advisor, EFMD Programme Accreditation

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During a global pandemic when business school leaders are preoccupied with virtual learning, budgets, and student bubbles, where do doctoral programmes feature on the list of priorities? Ask Julie Davies, Nicola Palmer, Elena Braccia, Karen Clegg and Mark Smith

Crisis as opportunity

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Crisis as opportunity | Julie Davies, Nicola Palmer, Elena Braccia, Karen Clegg and Mark Smith

F

ar from being the Cinderella of business schools, we believe that doctoral researchers are key to knowledge production and advancing the business and management education field.

Yet because of their relatively small size, doctoral programmes may have been overlooked in the current crises.

In order to network and share insights into how we are continuing to ensure high standards in doctoral education within the business school portfolio during the COVID-19 crisis, we launched the first in a series of EFMD webinars specifically focusing on doctoral programmes in business schools. These webinars aim to support the community of academics and professional service staff who are working in doctoral education in the business and management field.

Based on discussions from the first webinar, we draw on multiple perspectives. These range from engaging current students at different stages of their doctoral journeys to facilitating peer support and promoting regular and meaningful two-way communications. This is to sustain a vibrant research community virtually, positive well-being, and student progression. We also consider support for (new) faculty, the need to revisit research designs, adapting research training, programme content, and remote vivas. At the same time, we need to be conscious of the importance of ensuring continuity and of taking personal circumstances into consideration. This includes issues of different types of students and potential inequities. Additionally, we reflect on inductions for new doctoral students and the importance of record-keeping.

Ten years ago, in Global Focus, Sue Newell discussed a doctoral programme for the twenty-first century that combines the best of American and European approaches. A decade later, we reflect more broadly on how to support business school doctoral programmes in the quite different context of a global pandemic

Overview Ten years ago, in Global Focus, Sue Newell discussed a doctoral programme for the twentyfirst century that combines the best of American and European approaches. A decade later, we reflect more broadly on how to support business school doctoral programmes in the quite different context of a global pandemic. Often in a crisis, communications and decisions are centralised to ensure clarity and agility, as well as consistency and fairness to reduce anxieties and alleviate immediate problems.

Our discussions of doctoral programmes at EFMD’s first doctoral programmes webinar during the crisis underlined the importance of providing a general framework that is communicated centrally.

This is important so that students and their supervisors can continue in a safe and sustainable way and to avoid mixed messaging at different levels. At the same time, there is a need for a case-by-case, individualised approach to supporting key stakeholders on doctoral programmes. This is important if we wish to retain current students and help them graduate as well as to ensure a healthy pipeline of new students and vibrant research cultures. In addition, we consider crisis leadership in terms of future strategies.

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First, we highlight the emergency response phase, the immediate practical and methodological challenges faced by doctoral students, faculty, and managers in business and management schools arising from COVID-19. Second, we note university-wide responses which support doctoral programmes and specific initiatives in business schools with examples from different countries.

Third, we discuss future challenges post-lockdown as various vaccines are rolled out in a context of an unprecedented financial crisis and protests about social inequalities. In summarising the results of the first webinar, we emphasise the nine Rs of robust doctoral programmes. Finally, we highlight positive initiatives that have arisen from the crisis that we see as opportunities to sustain as we look forward to recovery.

Doctoral distress While some doctoral students may be powering ahead, writing up their dissertations from home with occasional Zoom calls to keep in touch, others are distressed and distracted by disrupted plans. For example, international students (and faculty members) may be suffering in isolation far from home, worried about expiring visas and how they will find flights to travel back to their families. Some students may be uncertain 22

about their finances with the loss of paid work and about their future career prospects. Others may be in multiple-occupancy households with anxieties about mental health and well-being. Clearly, some will face difficulties in accessing technology and reliable internet connections, and finding an appropriate space to work. Furthermore, the generational profile of doctoral students means that some face the challenges of additional care duties, home schooling, or maintaining a career.

International students who have returned to their home country may be worried about operating in different time zones from their supervisors and respondents. Some worry about lost opportunities to practise another language in their host university in person. Depending on the stage of their doctoral journey, there may be real concerns about students’ access to fieldwork, for example ethnographic studies. Postponed conferences and placement opportunities, lack of access to respondents who have been furloughed, fired, or who are too busy to participate in data collection are further considerations. There are also issues for research-funded projects which do not permit time extensions or have no additional funding to support completion. Students at the end of their doctorates may be worried about their doctoral examination, virtual vivas, and career prospects.

2k+

The Postgraduate Research Student Liaison Officer at the University of York (UK) continued to represent and liaise with the institution’s 2000+ research students and shifted the tone of a session on “how to survive your PhD programme” to focus on how to ‘thrive’

Crisis as opportunity | Julie Davies, Nicola Palmer, Elena Braccia, Karen Clegg and Mark Smith

At Sheffield Hallam University (UK), the introduction of a Virtual Café scheme and ‘Focus Thursday’ online study group recognised the threat of loneliness to a population of students who are already at risk from a mental health and wellbeing crisis

180+

York’s European Doctoral Summer School which should have taken place in Maastricht over four days with a handful of exceptional students is now being run online and is open to 180+ people

Immediate responses In reflecting on doctoral programmes in business schools, we first consider the hygiene factors and hierarchy of students’ individual needs (to draw on Herzberg and Maslow) that were vital in ensuring continuity during the outbreak of the pandemic. For professional service staff in business schools, the initial priority was to be to account for all doctoral students – especially those from overseas. They needed to document the students’ physical locations, their well-being, and completion plans. They also checked to ensure supervisors were in touch to consider any issues of hardship or requests for extension of registrations. The next phase led to processes for keeping in touch regularly to ensure that students kept on track, with some institutions giving automatic three- to six-month extensions on request. Adequate record-keeping was a way to ensure no student was missed and that a duty of care was maintained for all students and project funders. Universities sought to ensure students had access to peers in online communities and that student services such as mental health support were readily available.

A further distinct phase was the continuation of virtual doctoral training and community solidarity to sustain momentum. For example, the Postgraduate Research (PGR) Student Liaison Officer at the University of York (UK) continued to represent and liaise with the institution’s 2000+ research students and shifted the tone of a session on “how to survive your PhD programme” to focus on how to ‘thrive’.

The programme’s peer-run sessions, now run online with input from existing PGRs and alumni, are recognised as providing a lifeline alongside the Graduate Student Association’s “Smash Isolation” campaign. York’s European Doctoral Summer School which should have taken place in Maastricht over four days with a handful of exceptional

students is now being run online and is open to 180+ people.

Elsewhere, at Sheffield Hallam University (UK), the introduction of a Virtual Café scheme and ‘Focus Thursday’ online study group recognised the threat of loneliness to a population of students who are already at risk from a mental health and wellbeing crisis. At the University of Nottingham (UK), training and development has focused on sharing experiences and coping strategies.

COVID-19 blogs have been posted online for postgraduate researchers to develop a sense of community with advice on adjusting to the impacts of the crisis both personally and for their research.

The current situation has demonstrated an appetite for inter-institutional collaborations with invitations to research seminars (delivered as free webinars) offered more widely. Five years after the publication of Vitae’s (2015) “Who Shares Wins” paper, restrictions on face-to-face activities, events and resources within institutions have enabled the seeds of a new model of doctoral training to emerge. Equally, some of the accessibility challenges to doctoral student mobility are now viewed more sympathetically, alongside the relaxation of rules around spending of research funds. Meanwhile carbon footprints have been reduced overnight.

For the most part, doctoral students in business and management studies do not usually require access to physical laboratories, especially if they are writing and have collected their data, and are able to work remotely. If their research respondents are too busy to complete questionnaires or interviews, students may be encouraged, for example, to revisit their literature review or to call research participants and collect data individually, or alternatively to use publicly available datasets.

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Ongoing challenges On the other side of lockdown, employability challenges in the context of an unprecedented financial crisis will need particular attention. The diversity of postgraduate research students in business schools has always meant that there has been a need to support the career aspirations of full- and part-time researchers, young and mature, alongside acknowledging the executive job pressures faced by DBA students. Employability pathways are unclear yet there remains a need to support our students as they navigate an uncertain economic future.

On a more positive note, the pandemic context allows for the emergence of new online competences. By training doctoral students to present online, we enable them to differentiate themselves positively to potential employers.

Grenoble Ecole de Management (France) moved quickly to a system of on-line vivas for doctoral students to both support progression and equip students for online job interviews. Meanwhile the students’ experiences in supporting the school’s pedagogy as animateurs in on-line environments allowed them to demonstrate their competences for new pedagogical challenges.

At the other end of the doctoral education pipeline, communicating messages to prospective students and committing to building a community around them remains a key challenge. The need to build relationships and trust across postgraduate research supervision remains a priority. Buddying and peer support are essential for their successful integration.

At the Stockholm School of Economics (Sweden), where neither nation and institution were locked down, the challenge of managing periods of quarantine for incoming international students required planning for arrivals ahead of formal induction schedules. Pre-departure and welcome meetings were identified as crucial to ensure connectivity and avoid attrition. It has been vital to communicate where the key points of contact are available on and off campus.

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New norms going forward Concerns over returning to campus will remain during 2021 and there is a need to reassure new and progressing postgraduate research students across all business schools. Doing so requires reflection on our traditional behaviours and practices and the adoption of new norms going forward.

We recommend nine Rs: 1. (Re)set clear goals and expectations and check in on these frequently to support productivity and motivation, e.g. using SkillsForge (skillsforge.com), an online student progress tracker.

2. Rapport – it is vital to maintain the momentum of supervisory meetings in order to support the redesign of research and/or plans accordingly.

3. Research skills, continue learning and developing a broad skill set for employability.

In consultation with students and faculty, sustain research training, webinars, events, e.g. explaining your thesis in three minutes. Some amazing free webinars have been available during the pandemic alongside careers support as well as virtual writing retreats.

4. Regular reminders of available institutional support to encourage student solidarity, reduce stress, support mental and physical health, exercise and keeping in touch. Centralised policies and support can reduce the burden on supervisors as frontline contacts for doctoral students so that they can concentrate on individual support for their students.

5. Routines that encourage motivation and progression including designated workspaces, using productivity tools such as the Pomodoro technique, writing groups and virtual retreats.

6. Record keeping – note evidence of how COVID-19 has affected research productivity as this may require additional funding or time extensions.

7. R&R – rest and recovery, self-care, and small acts of kindness for students and supervisors.

8. Recognition – celebrate small wins, sustain a positive attitude, and sense of gratitude.

9. Resilience – reflect on how students can demonstrate evidence for future employers of their progress on their doctorates and their perserverence under difficult circumstances.

Crisis as opportunity | Julie Davies, Nicola Palmer, Elena Braccia, Karen Clegg and Mark Smith

Conclusion We are hopeful that new ways of working and collaborating within business school doctoral communities will continue to provide inspiration as we move towards realising intentions for more blended offerings in doctoral education. New technologies have brought us closer together at a distance. We are optimistic that in the context of the multiple public health, economic, social and climate challenges, doctoral education will remain a key priority in business schools.

Only time will tell whether there will be an increase in applications to business school doctoral programmes due to the economic downturn.

Despite challenges of doubts about the value of a doctoral degree, international travel restrictions, and funding constraints, doctoral degrees remain a vital part of the business school portflio.

With the doctoral education community, we look forward to interacting with colleagues at future webinars in the EFMD doctoral programmes series.

The EFMD Doctoral Community conference The EFMD Doctoral Community conference will be online from May 10-12 hosted by the Vienna University of Economics and Business: https://events.efmdglobal.org/events/2021efmddoctoral-programmes-conference/ The event will feature speakers who are doctoral programme directors and managers, central university executives, and representatives from the EUA Council for Doctoral Education, ETS Global and FindAPhd.

About the Authors

On the other side of lockdown, employability challenges in the context of an unprecedented financial crisis will need particular attention. Employability pathways are unclear yet there remains a need to support our students as they navigate an uncertain economic future

Dr Julie Davies is a Reader in the Department of Decent Work & Performance, Faculty of Business & Law, Manchester Metropolitan University, UK Dr Nicola Palmer is Head of Doctoral Training, Sheffield Hallam University, UK Dr Karen Clegg is Head of Research Excellence Training, University of York, UK Elena Braccia is PhD Programs Manager, Stockholm School of Economics, Sweden Prof. Mark Smith is Professor of HRM, Grenoble Ecole de Management, France, and Director-elect of Stellenbosch Business School, South Africa

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Saleema Vellani explores the entrepreneurial mindset and considers how the future landscape of personal exploration, employment and industry will require ubiquitous innovation skills of new graduates and business leaders alike

Redefining Innovation and Entrepreneurship

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Redefining Innovation and Entrepreneurship | Saleema Vellani

I

n January 2020, the World Economic Forum kicked off the Reskilling Revolution Platform with the aim of retooling one billion people over the next ten years with skills appropriate for the era. Automation and advanced AI will render certain skill sets obsolete but the acceleration of human creativity, teamwork and ingenuity will remain vital. The twelve months that followed the launch demonstrated that something more than reskilling would be required; we need reinvention. We are indeed in a Reinvention Revolution, where the need for innovative skills and entrepreneurial mindsets have come sharply into focus.

Enterprising and innovation competencies are no longer just for entrepreneurs, business owners, or siloed innovation labs in the workplace.

They are critical for the whole team, for graduates fresh from university, for government and for business leaders alike, and for professional and personal development. They underpin our development personally and societally and will continue to gain importance as time goes on.

Innovation isn’t just about ideas and technology. It’s about being human Saleema Vellani

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Job seekers are purpose driven to find an accurate representation of their personal mission, beliefs and values. They are motivated to work for causes in line with their views as per Dan Pink’s intrinsic motivation of ‘Purpose’. People entering the employment market are beginning to prioritise their passions and delving into the entrepreneurial mindset to do so

The Impact of Innovation on the Individual Journey Compare the opportunities recent and future graduates are mulling over versus those of their parents or indeed grandparents. The working world has changed entirely from a 'clock-in, clock-out' role where the next 20 years of one’s career are already predetermined. Job seekers are purpose driven to find an accurate representation of their personal mission, beliefs and values. They are motivated to work for causes in line with their views as per Dan Pink’s intrinsic motivation of "Purpose". People entering the employment market are beginning to prioritise their passions and delving into the entrepreneurial mindset to do so.

As innovation is being redefined as increasingly human, entrepreneurship also needs redefining. In the new type of entrepreneurship that has emerged, it’s no longer a matter of quitting a nine-to-five job and setting up shop in one’s parents’ garage.

Entrepreneurship was trendy in the first couple of decades of the twenty-first century, but it is now a way of being. Our personal and work lives are increasingly intertwined, and compartmentalisation is becoming less common. The way our world has evolved enables us to express our individual selves more authentically than ever before. The complex challenges of the world have also been a catalyst for us to become the change-makers. That much could not have been any clearer over the past 12 months.

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The Necessity of Innovation in Employment The most significant economic variable of the past year – indeed several years – has been change. Those who have responded, been affected or pivoted in response to change have succeeded. The future of employment is not hampered by the same slow rates of change and barriers to entrepreneurship as has traditionally been the case. It is now easier, faster and more accessible than ever to become an entrepreneur in the digital age. This means industry disruption will remain a consistent part of the employment landscape now and for the foreseeable future.

Industry disruption and change are the norm for the future and the demand for innovative skills, whether from employees or entrepreneurs, will continue rising. With the industry reshuffling afoot, existing and future companies will scramble to strengthen responsive and pre-emptive innovation and those who are proactively adept at innovating will best future-proof their position.

Oddly, the most significant condition affecting the deployment of team innovation skills was first pioneered in 1999 by Amy Edmondson, yet it was only in 2012, with Google’s Project Aristotle, that this quality was truly appreciated. Psychological safety refers to the human aspect of leading teams.

It means creating safety from embarrassment and social risk for team members to speak up, contribute ideas, admit mistakes and offer open and honest thoughts. Humanising the process and creating a foundation of safety offers the key to cultivating innovation in the workforce

Redefining Innovation and Entrepreneurship | Saleema Vellani

The best way to find your sweet spot is to start adding value to others’ lives wherever you can. When you have done this, spend time sifting through the results to deduce where you performed best and derived the most satisfaction

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The research captured the views of 100 different innovative leaders and entrepreneurs in 25 countries

How do you find your Innovative ‘Sweet Spot’?

Having captured the views of 100 different innovative leaders and entrepreneurs in 25 countries and pursuing multiple entrepreneurial ventures of my own, it is obvious to me that innovation in your personal journey supersedes any traditional definition. It frames your entire entity and philosophy. As we move towards a future where diversity in cultures and industry expand, taking your place in the world and 'Finding your Sweet Spot' is emerging as a salient skill.

Some people believe their sweet spot to be obvious, based on what they’ve done and how they see themselves. They spend time trying to 'find their passion' or figure out their optimal career path before really diving in. Unfortunately, this approach routinely leaves us feeling more stuck than we originally were.

One exercise that progressed my process was asking my closest friends and colleagues how they saw me, how I showed up, my greatest strengths, and my greatest weaknesses. This exercise challenged my perspective with unbiased, unfettered honesty.

The best way to find your sweet spot is to start adding value to others’ lives wherever you can. When you have done this, spend time sifting through the results to deduce where you performed best and derived the most satisfaction. Consider your life and career as a series of projects; not a series of jobs. Map out the projects you’ve executed or contributed to. Which did you excel at the most?

Which garnered you the most positive feedback?

Which ones did you absolutely enjoy and would even do for free? Fill in these quadrants first, and reflect on them.

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Excelled at

Which projects did you excel at?

You're confident in these skills and others know you have them too

Profit

Praised for

Which projects did you receive the most positive feedback on?

Dedicates time towards passion projects

Some of the praise may have surprised you

FINDING YOUR SWEET SPOT

Loved doing

Which projects gave you the most joy?

Think about the projects you felt most passionate about

THE HYBRIDPRENEUR

Open to testing

Which projects have you been keeping on the backburner?

These are the projects that are outside of your comfort zone that you're willing to test

Growth

Embraces constant learning and curiosity

Figure 1 Finding your sweet spot

Figure 2 The Hybridpreneur

(© Saleema Vellani)

(© Saleema Vellani)

Your sweet spot isn’t just discovered.

It’s developed Furthermore, what ideas have you considered experimenting with that are likely out of your comfort zone? For example, have you thought of starting a blog or podcast? Have you wanted to write a book or do more public speaking?

If nothing easily comes to mind, or if you don’t have any specific ideas on the back burner, then ask friends and colleagues what types of projects or activities they think of when they think of you. If you’re comfortable with it, fill out the quadrants and share them with others to give them some context as to what you’ve already done in a snapshot.

Unlocking your self-awareness, curiosity and personal story-telling skills may unearth multiple sweet spots for you to not only engage but also develop. As you begin to advance and explore your sweet spot, you begin to experience a state of flow as Csikszentmihalyi termed it – “A state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter”.

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Passion

Makes money to support oneself and to invest

How to foster and balance innovation in your journey?

Innovation and the entrepreneurial mindset often seep into the individual journey undetected.

Activities as routine as travel broaden perspectives and offer new cultures and methods to potentially embrace. Experiencing failure offers a window of understanding into our resilience, attitude and ability to overcome obstacles. Meeting those who inspire and motivate us can provide mentors and guiding lights for direction in life. Most of all, it is by exposing ourselves to new projects and experiences that we further our propensity for innovation and expand our horizons innately.

However, innate experiences are not entirely responsible for fostering innovation. Often an intentional pursuit is required. Through my experience and personal journey of entrepreneurship from starting Brazil’s largest language school to opening and eventually selling a translation company in Italy, I have learned to develop my own framework, The Hybridpreneur, to enhance the entrepreneurial mindsets of those around me.

Impact

Gives back to the community in a meaningful way

Redefining Innovation and Entrepreneurship | Saleema Vellani

In order to create and maximise our impact while also supporting ourselves and those around us, we need to strike a balance of the four components of the Hybridpreneur: Profit, Passion, Growth and Service

Moving from Entrepreneur and Intrapreneur to Hybridpreneur In order to create and maximise our impact while also supporting ourselves and those around us, we need to strike a balance of the four components of the Hybridpreneur: Profit, Passion, Growth and Service. In reality, it is accepted that most people don’t have what they would consider a dream job which incorporates all of these. However, this ought to remain a career ambition in order to achieve the true eminence of innovation in the individual journey.

Conclusion Innovation and the entrepreneurial mindset have languished in tradition behind protective social distinction or exclusive definitions.

Unfortunately, these outdated descriptions are no longer representative as innovation has and will continue to transcend its business application.

Frankly, the reskilling revolution only brought into light a phenomenon – the Reinvention Revolution – that had already begun to pave the future of individuality as employees and entrepreneurs going forward.

Individual and business innovation is the future and weaving these into the fabric of society will be demanded by the rapidly changing landscape of personal, sectoral and national advancement.

About the Author Saleema Vellani is the Founder and CEO of Ripple Impact, which helps entrepreneurs grow their platforms and businesses so they can increase their influence and amplify their impact. She is the author of Innovation Starts With I and teaches Design Thinking and Entrepreneurship at Johns Hopkins University. She is also an Innovation Consultant at the World Bank Group where she helps address food insecurity in fragile and conflict-affected countries through climate-smart, water-saving food system innovations

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Ted Ladd and Johan Roos discuss teaching in a Covid World

Hybrid classes transform learning A conversation with professors at Hult, IE and IMD

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hen you gather top professors from three international business schools to discuss the challenges and successes of teaching in a Covid world, you are faced with the stark realisation that things may never be the same again. For many years, online learning was an option for business schools to consider. Not any more. Now it is required. Yet now we must also anticipate a classroom containing people online and people physically in the room at the same time. The current reality of hybrid learning leaves professors with a multitude of challenges and questions: How do we design courses to guarantee equity in student access, professorial attention, and fair assessment?

How do we develop trust, effective teamwork and student engagement in classes where students are physically divided? How do we cultivate spontaneous conversation when virtual sessions require such meticulous planning in bite-sized chunks?

Prior to March 2020, hybrid learning (also called hyflex or concurrent learning) was predominately reserved for part-time learners who were balancing study with other commitments. It was rarely the first choice for students, faculty or institutions. Now, as one professor remarked, “I think hybrid will be the norm, because of the opportunities it [offers].”

Another professor urged caution, “We need to get online pedagogy right first, then develop pedagogy for hybrid [formats].” This is an ideal time to reflect upon what works well in a hybrid classroom and where we still need to find new solutions. To tackle this issue, we assembled professors from three EQUIS-accredited business schools that attract students from around the globe.

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From IMD Business School: • David Bach –Dean of Innovation and Programs, Lausanne • Alyson Meister –Professor of Leadership and Organizational Behaviour, Lausanne • Arnaud Chevallier –Professor of Strategy, Lausanne Faculty from IE Business School: • Patricia Gabaldon –Vice Dean of Pedagogical Innovation, Director of the Bachelor’s Programme in Economics and Associate Professor of Economics, Madrid • Ignacio Gafo –Associate Dean of Global and Exec MBA programs and Professor of Marketing, Madrid • Kiron Ravindran –Assistant Professor of Information Systems, Madrid Faculty from Hult International Business School: • Omar Romero-Hernandez –Professor of Operations and Research Fellow, San Francisco • Selina Neri –Professor of Management and Corporate Governance, Dubai and London • Henrik Totterman –Professor of Entrepreneurship and Management, Boston • Ted Ladd –Dean of Research and Professor of Entrepreneurship, San Francisco (also served as facilitator) Our conversation was organised to echo the flow in which faculty create the student experience: course design, classroom engagement, and assessments of learning outcomes.

Hybrid classes transform learning | Ted Ladd and Johan Roos

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Above: Professors from Hult, IMD and IE discussing the challenges and opportunities of concurrent learning

Course Design The hybrid format changes the mindset of teacher-student interactions, as stated by one professor: “Students used to come to us, now we have to go to them.” Professors reflected on the implications of this shift for the way they architected each entire course. The participants overwhelmingly agreed that, logistics and technical acumen aside, online learning offered abundant opportunities.

Beginning with the acceptance that content cannot be covered in the same way as before, professors were driven to return to the course objectives and refocus their efforts, discarding less effective materials, exercises and even expectations. This quote illustrates the challenge: I went back to my syllabus. I was very mindful about the ultimate goal we had to achieve, and I admitted that I won’t be able to cover everything the same way as before. My first success was admitting failure and then focusing on fulfilling the promise of the course.

This streamlining allowed them to shed extraneous content and amplify the core messages and deliverables – focusing on what is possible and what is necessary.

This redesign did not just require subtractions. The introduction of a persistent virtual presence as part of the normal classroom experience improves opportunities for students to connect and communicate with practicing business professionals. Guest speakers can now 34

be ‘brought in’ for short slots and re-introduced in subsequent weeks to participate in video assessments or virtual pitches. One caveat surfaced: guest speakers must be tech savvy and confident in front of a camera, and this is not always the case.

This simple change expands student access to literally a world of expertise without any additional costs or logistics.

When I’m talking about psychological safety, I can ask, ‘who has some great resources or videos?’ Suddenly [the students in the class] get a little bit of a Wiki going in class. Instead of me having to be the deliverer of resources, technology is allowing us to collaborate in class as we go.

The panellists concurred that precise, granular course design is even more important in a hybrid classroom environment. Professors agreed that they need to make each segment shorter: a duration of about 20 minutes is optimal. They also agreed that the hybrid format accentuated the need to replace pre-class readings with short videos, and that classroom time should be reserved for discussions. (This is called the Flipped Classroom method.)

The threat of ‘death by PowerPoint’ is omnipresent even in hybrid formats. With many students sitting remotely, literally surrounded by potential distractions, an over-reliance on slide-decks can precipitate immediate disengagement. Yet spontaneity and unstructured time are less feasible in

20min

Professors agreed that they need to make each course segment shorter: a duration of about 20 minutes is optimal

Hybrid classes transform learning | Ted Ladd and Johan Roos

The introduction of a persistent virtual presence as part of the normal classroom experience improves opportunities for students to connect and communicate with practicing business professionals.

Guest speakers can now be ‘brought in’ for short slots and re-introduced in subsequent weeks to participate in video assessments or virtual pitches

4.5hrs Several professors concluded that 4.5 hours/day was the maximum duration for students to remain engaged in a hybrid class

a hybrid format because of the proximity to distraction and the need to shorten segment durations. Several professors concluded that 4.5 hours/day was the maximum duration for students to remain engaged in a hybrid class.

That is not to say that learning cannot happen beyond this threshold, but that a clear differentiation must be made between hours of class and total hours of work. Students can engage with the material and each other outside of formal classroom sessions in novel ways, from asynchronous crowd-sourced content to easily convened team meetings through online platforms.

The technologies and practices that underlie a hybrid classroom are pushing professors to reconsider assumptions about their students’ ability to receive and process information.

I love the opportunity in hybrid to question the assumption that everyone in a class is moving at the same pace. Now I try and make my course ‘pace proof’; how can I have team check ins, open-ended polls, team quizzes, different office hours with me to make sure everyone’s coming along. Something I had taken for granted before.

With sophisticated learning management systems, clever apps, and a more ambitious approach to using online and in-person sessions more constructively, professors are better able to track each student’s progress towards the learning outcomes and offer individualised help – through individual work, team collaborations or synchronous time with the professor.

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Student Engagement Just as professors dedicate time to course design, students must dedicate time to course preparation. The two go hand in hand to create a rounded and collaborative learning experience.

During our conversation, professors discussed how students may not have the time and physical space to dedicate to quiet reading and reflection about the material.

I used to be less forgiving if my masters students came to class unprepared, but now they have their own crises that are far bigger than my own problems, therefore I think the key is to be a little more empathetic and forgiving about expectations for how many hours they should have prepared before class.

Those students who are participating exclusively through online channels may have lost access to informal conversations on the way to lunch or in between classes that were deemed critical to developing their wider sense of understanding and awareness. Even students who attend class in person are not encouraged to congregate after class for fear of spreading infection. While professors can be empathetic towards challenges the hybrid learning, they remain optimistic and ambitious: We have a battle for attention when some people are connected online some are in the room so [we must consider] combining learning activities with engagement activities. You want [students] to be learning 100% of the time but it’s not realistic.

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Several participants mentioned the need to explore multimedia materials to replace textbooks.

They felt that the hybrid format accentuated the need to only use contemporary materials: “We’re running after novelty – students demand the latest and the greatest.”

The need for new ways to connect students with the material prompts professors to foster a sense of community outside the classroom.

This include experimenting with shared private YouTube channels, setting up WhatsApp groups for students to informally connect, and reintroducing tools like Slack to share ideas and questions.

These mechanisms for engagement also compensate for the real risk of giving less attention to those students who are online in hybrid formats.

We created our own Twitter account for the class and the students start commenting on that and eventually they get to this informal set up where they start sharing jokes or things from outside the class.

Community building does not rest solely with the professor. Panellists agreed that students must take some responsibility for reimagining their own learning experience. Ultimately, they must find new ways to connect and relate to each other in hybrid or entirely virtual environments. This is not just the new reality for business education, but it is also the new reality for professional work environments.

Prompts from professors on how to constructively initiate and maintain these environments are now an unavoidable part of the foundation of a business education.

Hybrid classes transform learning | Ted Ladd and Johan Roos

There is undoubtedly a sense of bereavement for face-to-face teaching and for the culture-building journey that students created together in person. While there is much to learn, much to consider and no doubt much more change on the horizon, students should rest assured that their professors are rising to the occasion, designing new student experiences

Student Assessments The topic of student assessments can be contentious at the best of times. Whether formalised tests are the best measure of business competency is a debate for another day. Suffice it to say that professors in hybrid classrooms need to reflect on how they measure student progress given these challenging circumstances.

One professor remarked, “These students didn’t choose to learn like this, hunkered down at home.” Another stressed the need to retain the sense of realism and relevance in hybrid classes: At the end of the course [students] go in front of a ‘board’, represented by a real expert in the industry.

They get to play the role in a virtual setting where they come to the board, present your initiative and get immediate feedback from a senior executive. It makes the class very realistic.

Professors discussed a range of adaptations they are making to assessments. Unsurprisingly many have turned to video assignments.

Encouraging students to submit video essays that are then graded by other students satisfies multiple assessment criteria: coordinated, substantive team presentations followed by detailed student critiques using a template provided by the professor that covers all of the major topics of the course.

These critiques can be funnelled back to the student teams, providing a wealth of feedback.

Some professors adapted to hybrid classrooms in other ways. Rather than one assignment at the end of the course, some suggested that planning smaller deliverables throughout the course ensures students remain focused and engaged: I included more components in the assessment, I included more group assignments, shorter five-minute group presentations in class and same thing with deliverables – I made them smaller instead of a big final exam and that helped me to keep people engaged.

Conclusion Crucially, professors acknowledged that new thinking and experimentation around course design, student engagement and assessments must continue. While these adaptations are vital amid a pandemic, hybrid learning may persist long after COVID-19 dissipates.

This collaborative discussion between business school leaders encapsulated the challenges and opportunities of hybrid learning.

There is undoubtedly a sense of bereavement for face-to-face teaching and for the culture-building journey that students created together in person.

While there is much to learn, much to consider and no doubt much more change on the horizon, students should rest assured that their professors are rising to the occasion, designing new student experiences. We remain committed to delivering high quality, impactful learning relevant to business leaders in the new world.

Special thanks to Jean-Francois Manzoni, President of IMD, and Martin Boehm, Dean of the IE Business School, for arranging this tripartite conversation.

About the Authors Ted Ladd is the Dean of Research and a Professor of Entrepreneurship, primarily on Hult’s campus in San Francisco.

Johan Roos is Hult’s Chief Academic Officer.

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While backward design has been widely accepted as the ‘right’ way to proceed when designing new courses or units, John Mullins and Arun Pereira argue that, for some business schools, an alternative approach, which they call effectual design, may potentially be a superior approach to course design

An effectual approach to course design

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An effectual approach to course design | John Mullins and Arun Pereira

I

t has been widely accepted in recent years that backward design is the ‘right’ way to go when designing new courses or units. As two ardent supporters of this approach, Wiggins and McTighe argued that the backward design approach is a good way of ensuring that the primary focus of what is eventually taught is student-centred. To this end, backward design encourages the instructor to establish the purpose behind an activity before baking it into the curriculum or course design.

We argue here that, for some business schools, an alternative approach, which we call effectual design, may make good sense. We will first define backward design and discuss its strengths and limitations, as reported in the learning literature. Then, drawing on the work of Saras Sarasvathy and Benjamin Bloom, we define and explore our alternative approach, and note some settings where we believe an effectual design approach is likely to have merit.

Finally, we show why effectual design, when combined with project-based learning, is likely to work better in these settings.

Backward design Backward design, sometimes referred to as understanding by design, is a method of designing courses and their constituent units by first setting learning goals and then choosing the methods of instruction and forms of assessment.

It is akin to choosing one’s destination before charting a path to reach it. The idea involves a three-step process (See Figure 1).

This approach is reported to offer several advantages, namely that • it is easier and more logical for the instructor when designing learning activities and assessments, based on well-grounded and clear learning objectives • it forces the instructor to assess learning and understanding • assessment is designed before lesson planning, so instruction drives students toward exactly what they need to know • it forces tough decisions about what’s in and what’s out • it moves the instructor’s focus from content mastery to learning.

1

2

3

Identify Desired Results

Determine Assessment Evidence

Plan Learning Experiences and Instruction

What will students be able to do by the end of the lesson, module, unit, or course?

How will students demonstrate what they have learned?

What types of activities, materials, and resources will lead students to the desired results?

Figure 1 Backward Design Model (Source: Humboldt State University)

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In summary, a key strength of backward design is that it establishes a tight connection between learning goals and assessing the extent to which such goals have been attained.

Yet despite its apparently clear merits, numerous drawbacks or limitations to backward design have also been reported, including the fact that • what is taught is not necessarily what is learned, due to variation in students’ experience and prior knowledge • its excessive rigidity may fail to take proper advantage of the rich diversity of today’s classroom populations and can lead to a potential lack of dynamism in the classroom environment • in pre-determining an end goal, students are not empowered to reach for their own goals or to follow a process that may lead to results that surprise both the student and the teacher. For the master teacher, one could argue that it is also worthwhile to move beyond fixed goals and establish processes that lead students to relevant yet indeterminate outcomes • backward-designed courses or curricula may fail to encourage or develop critical thinking and the pursuit of higher-order learning objectives.

In essence, critics argue, backward design is akin to a one-size-fits-all approach to learning.

Further, we note that the typical forms of assessment in backward designed courses can be problematic for two additional reasons. First, exams, tests, and quizzes do not necessarily measure learning; arguably, they measure (at best) short-term memory; and, second, they bear an opportunity cost, by taking time away from other activities that could lead to learning.

Nonetheless, this approach may be well suited to many business schools’ core curricula, and to learning content which is hierarchical by nature.

Learning the material for Statistics 1, for example, is a pre-requisite for tackling Statistics 2. As we’ll now argue, however, a backward design approach may be less well suited to other important elements in many business schools’ curricula, indeed to elements that may be critical to the schools’ survival in today’s rapidly changing education industry.

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Knowing vs. Doing As in other professions including medicine, engineering, architecture and more, we who teach in business schools are – or should be – more concerned with what our soon-to-be graduates or executive education participants can ‘do’ than with what they ‘know’ or ‘understand’. In business, our students need to be able to gather evidence and think critically about how best to weigh options and determine what their business should do next, often amid considerable uncertainty. Which market should be targeted? Is the return sufficient to justify the investment? And so on.

All these tasks fall at the middle and higher end of Bloom’s taxonomy of learning objectives (See Figure 2).

Unfortunately, evidence suggests that the backward design process often results in courses that are focused primarily on the bottom two learning objectives, understanding and remembering. Learning objectives in backward designed courses and curricula can, of course, include ‘doing’, and it is possible to assess such learning. But implementing assessments for this can be time-consuming and resource-intensive, especially in large core classes, and when

An effectual approach to course design | John Mullins and Arun Pereira

Create

Produce new or original work Design, assemble, construct, conjecture, develop, formulate, author, investigate

Evaluate

Justify a stand or decision Appraise, argue, defend, judge, select, support, value, critique, weigh

Analyse

Draw connections among ideas Differentiate, organise, relate, compare, contract, distinguish, exercise, experiment, question, test

Apply

Understand

Remember

Use information in new situations Execute, implement, solve, use, demonstrate, interpret, operate, schedule, sketch Explain ideas or concepts Classify, describe, discuss, explain, identify, locate, recognise, report, select, translate Recall facts and basic concepts Define, duplicate, list, memorise, repeat, state

Figure 2 Bloom's Taxonomy (Source Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching)

Managerial thinking – Causal reasoning Distinguishing characteristic Selecting between given means to achieve pre-determined goal M1 M2 Given goals

M3 M4 M5

Given means

Strategic thinking – Creative causal reasoning Distinguishing characteristic Generating new means to achieve pre-determined goals M1 M2 Given goals

M3 M4 M5

Given means are generated

Entreprenuerial thinking – Effectual reasoning Distinguishing characteristic Imagining possible new ends using a given set of means Given means

Imagined ends E1

M1 M3 M4

M2 M5

E2 E3 E4 E5

Figure 3 What Makes Entrepreneurs Entrepreneurial? (Source: Saras Sarasvathy)

compared to the ease and efficiency of other means of assessment that focus on Bloom’s lower-order learning objectives.

Of course it is crucial to recognise that it is important for business school students to understand tools, frameworks and concepts in order for them to ‘do’. This mere understanding, however, is not the end game. It’s applying those tools, frameworks, and concepts, and evaluating the evidence that feeds into them, and the analysis that follows that enables students to be more effective doers – as leaders, managers and entrepreneurs in today’s uncertain world – and to create innovations that make their firms successful and the world a better place.

Effectual reasoning A well-established stream of literature in entrepreneurship argues that many entrepreneurs don’t begin their journeys with explicit goals in mind. Instead, as Saras Sarasvathy finds, they ask themselves and their partners what means are at hand. By drawing on these means, they determine a multiplicity of possible paths that might lead to one or more worthwhile destinations (See Figure 3).

In Sarasvathy’s words, "While causal thinkers are like great generals seeking to conquer fertile lands (Genghis Khan conquering two thirds of the known world), effectual thinkers are like explorers setting out on voyages into uncharted waters (Columbus discovering the new world)."

According to Sarasvathy, "All entrepreneurs begin with three categories of means: (1) Who they are – their traits, tastes and abilities; (2) What they know – their education, training, expertise, and experience; and, (3) Whom they know – their social and professional networks". Sarasvathy argues that the effectual approach is particularly valuable when working under uncertain conditions, such as developing a new product in a new market, where one’s ability to predict the future is limited.

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As we think back to the various courses we’ve designed over our many years of business school teaching, we realise that rarely (if ever) have we used a strictly backward design approach. Instinctively, what we actually did most of the time was put into practice an effectual design approach

Effectual reasoning and effectual design Might it be true that Sarasvathy’s approach could be useful for designing new courses or elements thereof, and, if so, where? We argue that there are two important settings in business schools to which an effectual approach might be particularly well-suited: the design of new elective courses, and the design of short-form, nondegree executive education programmes.

In designing new electives, instructors may lack a clearly-defined set of learning objectives. “Big data is important; we need a new elective there,” someone might say. Instead of attempting to determine all the settings in which big data plays a role and the variety of forms it can take, and then determining how to assess what students should learn for each of them, and only then determining what learning activities, materials, and resources should be assembled (a backward design approach), what if we were approach the design of a new big data course as Sarasvathy might: • Who am I, as an instructor? Do I lecture? Do I teach with cases? Is my classroom alive with in-class activities? Do I find projects effective?

• What do I know about big data? Does some of my tried and tested material fit such a course?

• Who do I know that might contribute to such a course? Has someone in my network already taught such a course, or developed sessions that would fit? Do I know potential guest speakers or companies amenable to the development of new cases that deal with big data?

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2

We argue that there are two important settings in business schools to which an effectual approach might be particularly well-suited: the design of new elective courses, and the design of short-form, non-degree executive education programmes

An effectual approach to course design | John Mullins and Arun Pereira

Approaching course design in this manner allows the instructor to avoid the problem of needing to find or develop perfectly round pegs to fit into the perfectly round holes that a backward design approach would identify. Instead, they are free to assemble building blocks that fit their skills as an instructor (Who am I?), and draw on any prior knowledge of Big Data (What do I know?), as well as taking advantage of what others in their network have taught before (Who do I know?). By relying on trusted partners, this approach mitigates the risk of having some ‘dud’ sessions (or a ‘dud’ course!), thereby limiting possible losses, in just the same way as effectual entrepreneurs do. Over time, as the course unfolds, or as subsequent iterations are updated, the course can evolve as contingencies – i.e., surprises that arise along the way – are leveraged.

In short-form, non-degree executive education settings, similar logic holds true. We often know little about our audience’s prior knowledge or experience, and executive education cohorts are often highly heterogeneous in nature. Thus, it’s difficult to formulate suitable learning objectives that make sense for all, despite the fact that the learning staff of our corporate clients typically ask us to do just that!

Moreover, because participants are likely to selectively take away only those snippets of learning that are relevant for them, it is arguably pointless, and perhaps even inappropriate in such settings to define a uniform set of learning objectives for all. Indeed, in our work in executive education, we find that when they arrive for a short course, many participants’ managerial plates are typically full (and will be even fuller when they return to their workplaces!). They are thus thrilled to come away from an executive education programme with just one or two meaningful and actionable take-aways (out of the many things that were taught) that they can implement at once.

Effectual design in action As we think back to the various courses we’ve designed over our many years of business school teaching, we realise that rarely (if ever) have we used a strictly backward design approach.

Instinctively, what we actually did most of the time was put into practice an effectual design approach: • We considered who we are: our own most effective approaches to our teaching and learning craft.

• We considered what we knew already: what existing materials – cases, articles, exercises, projects, and more –were already in our repertoires and could comprise part of what was to be included in the new course.

• We considered who we knew: faculty elsewhere who had taught something like what we were preparing to teach and were willing to share their course outlines and course materials; and individuals or companies about whom we could develop compelling cases or other activities for classroom use.

As we think about it now, would we even consider designing something new for an elective or executive education audience any other way?

Why wouldn’t we draw on these resources? Building upon our strengths, our knowledge and our past successes, and standing on the shoulders of others who have ‘done it before’ makes enormous sense, doesn’t it?

An expanded and fully cited version of this article is available online at https://www.globalfocusmagazine.com/

About the Author John Mullins is Associate Professor of Management Practice in Marketing and Entrepreneurship at London Business School and Arun Pereira is Emeritus Faculty, Marketing at Chaifetz School of Business, Saint Louis University

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The acceleration of digitalisation within education as a result of COVID-19 Federico Frattini on the impact of COVID-19 on society and changes within education

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The acceleration of digitalisation within education as a result of COVID-19 | Federico Frattini

T

here is no doubt that the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic will be profound and will have a significant impact on multiple sectors of society, in the Global North and beyond. In particular, the education sector, from schools to universities has been deeply impacted, and we have certainly seen the emergence of new models and teaching approaches that are different to those we are used to. At the international level, all universities and business schools have been forced to transform some or all of their face-to-face courses into online programs, to allow students in lockdown to work from home, whilst also continuing their studies.

These shifts have occurred at different speeds and in different ways. In some cases, universities and business schools have demonstrated remarkable responsiveness and an ability to rapidly implement valid, well-structured approaches to digital training. In other cases, the response has been slower and the approaches used for online training rather rudimentary. The differences in speed and maturity are largely due to each individual school’s previous experience with online training. The institutions that had experimented and applied tools for online training in the years prior to the pandemic found themselves ready for this sudden transition.

The institutions that were best prepared for this transformation had already demonstrated that they understand that online teaching requires pedagogical models and approaches that are completely different from traditional methods.

The problem at the heart of good digital learning is not technological. The core digital tools for online learning platforms are widely accessible at low cost (indeed, most of the major technology players

at a global level are offering free licenses for the use of their tools during this period, just to help organisations overcome this emergency). It is not even an internet connection problem, although one often hears this comment. Most of the online platforms available today also work perfectly through mobile devices, equipped with 4G connection. The critical aspect is rather one of organisation. Designing an effective and quality online program requires experience and knowledge in areas such as instructional design and the moderation of online sessions, in addition to the will and ability to train teaching staff to use these tools.

Another challenge in this transformation is recognising that online teaching is not limited simply to using a digital platform to replicate what would have been taught in the classroom. In fact, learning in a digital context requires a profound restructuring of the teaching approach, and the use of different digital tools to meet different educational objectives. In a traditional, face-to-face lesson, teachers generally mix three different approaches and training tools. First, teachers must be able to transfer concepts, tools and notions (i.e. knowledge) to the students. Secondly, in face-toface teaching the teacher encourages students to apply this knowledge to discussing and solving exercises and practical cases, thus activating the transformation of this knowledge into skills.

Finally, these skills are tested by the students through practical discussions. Obviously, these three components have a different weight and importance depending on the educational context.

In postgraduate training programs, for example, the application of knowledge and its transformation into skills, in addition to students’ socialisation, has a radical importance.

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Ultimately, the pandemic will accelerate the process that has already led universities and business schools to develop effective tools for lifelong learning.

Today it is unthinkable that training would stop at the end of a master's degree or other professional training

In the digital context, these three components cannot be mixed using a single digital tool. They must be decomposed and managed using different and properly designed methods. Knowledge is transferred more efficiently and effectively using digital content such as video clips recorded by teachers. Lessons should be carried out through live, synchronous sessions, supported by tools such as Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, Cisco WebEx, Zoom, or similar platforms. Finally, the combination of the skills acquired can be supported through semi-synchronous tools such as social discussion tools, suitably moderated by the teacher or tutor. It is only by carefully designing and planning these three different components of an effective educational experience that institutions can transfer their training into an online format.

At MIP Politecnico di Milano, we call this approach to online learning Smart Learning, and we have been using this in our Masters and MBA programs since 2014. This is an area where we have achieved great results, with over 550 students studying via our digital programs since 2014, while our International Flex EMBA was selected as one of the top 10 programmes in the world according to the recent rankings in the Financial Times. Indeed, at MIP, even prior to COVID-19, we recognised that there had already been a growing demand from students for greater digitalisation, flexibility, and accessibility in learning, and this has only been highlighted further in recent months. The pandemic has also emphasised the value of digital tools for inclusiveness. Several times in recent years I have encountered students who, whether for health or work reasons, have had to 'pause' their participation in a traditional, face-to-face training 46

course. The pandemic that we are currently experiencing has only served to bring attention to these needs on a very large and global scale and has shown how digital training can have a great value in ensuring the continuity of the training path for those in difficult situations.

However, in the 'new normal' I nonetheless do not expect any widespread or extensive shift from face-to-face training to online training. This is because face-to-face training has great benefits, not least that it allows you to develop richer interpersonal relationships. Yet traditional face-toface paths will certainly be increasingly amplified and integrated with digital tools. For example, we will see blended training models with a mix of digital and online experience. Furthermore, the number of face-to-face programs will probably increase, which will enable students to follow the same lessons also in streaming mode, from a distance. This will certainly be necessary in the so-called phase three of the pandemic, where it will be possible to return to the classroom, but with strict social distancing rules. This will require us to reduce the number of students present in the classroom at any one time, thus meaning that those who are not physically present will still need to be able participate in the lesson remotely.

Therefore, I believe that universities and business schools should direct their efforts and

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Our International Flex EMBA was selected as one of the top 10 programmes in the world according to the recent rankings in the Financial Times

The acceleration of digitalisation within education as a result of COVID-19 | Federico Frattini

investments towards reconfiguring their physical spaces, integrating digital tools so as to make it possible for simultaneous face-to-face lessons and distance learning to happen seamlessly. An increasing number of educational institutions will find themselves with a 'physical' and an 'on cloud' campus. In addition, these investments will be essential in ensuring more flexibility in how spaces are used to encourage group and interactive teaching, as these become a fundamental component of blended educational models, based on the principle of the 'flipped classroom'.

Ultimately, the pandemic will accelerate the process that has already led universities and business schools to develop effective tools for lifelong learning. Today it is unthinkable that training would stop at the end of a master's degree or other professional training. Education must necessarily continue and permeate the working life of students.

Only by using digital tools, highly flexible and

scalable, will universities and business schools be able to offer efficient and effective lifelong learning services. At MIP we are experimenting with a new approach to continuous learning through FLEXA, an innovative digital platform for personalised training. Created with Microsoft and based on artificial intelligence, the platform tests the skills of our alumni and based on their personal career ambitions, it recommends digital content to fill the main skill gaps.

Of course, the 'new normal' within the education sector will be profoundly different from what we know today, and there is no doubt that the digital world will play a decisive role in this transformation.

Certainly, this evolution will require universities and business schools to undertake profound reflection as well as an acceleration of investments and experiences in applying digital tools across their programmes.

About the Author Federico Frattini is Dean MIP, Full Professor of Strategic Management and Innovation at Politecnico di Milano (Italy) and Honorary Researcher at the Lancaster University Management School (UK)

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Sarah Hardcastle asks “Just how much challenge are you, as Dean, prepared to accept?�

Business School Advisory Boards

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Business School Advisory Boards| Sarah Hardcastle

Rather than wishing to be part of a tick-box exercise or ‘sitting on the school mantelpiece’, a board member’s ability to give effective advice very much reflects the level of challenge a dean is prepared to accept and how close the board is allowed to get to a ‘warts and all’ understanding of the school

Advisory Board: "And I would say to the Dean: ‘If I ever tell you how to run the Business School, you can fire me. And if you ever tell me to stop challenging you, you can fire me.”

After twenty-seven in-depth interviews to capture the experience of those leading, managing and participating on business school advisory boards, it was clear that these boards are invariably shaped by the personalities of their dean and their chair and they act as a sounding board and critical friend for the senior leadership team at their respective business schools.

Advisory Board: “The Board is there to provide a challenge to the Dean, challenge to the strategy and really invigorate relevance for the Business School. It helps them develop a greater breadth and depth of insight to feed into the programmes they are constructing and the way that they’re actually delivering.”

Rather than wishing to be part of a tick-box exercise or ‘sitting on the school mantelpiece’, a board member’s ability to give effective advice very much reflects the level of challenge a dean is prepared to accept and how close the board is allowed to get to a ‘warts and all’ understanding of the school.

Advisory Board: “What’s now happening is that the Board Members are being drawn into the actual heartbeat of the organisation. That actually helps us bring more relevance because we gain a much better understanding of the Business School itself.”

In this, our first “Sharing the Experience” report, we chose to focus on UK school advisory boards, as we are aware there may be cultural and economic variances in different regions. Nonetheless, this article examines relevant findings where shared learning can be applied by the business school community internationally. Our free report “Business School Advisory Boards – Maximising the Opportunity” examines: • The importance of clearly defined Terms of Reference including role and remit • How to carefully create the perfect diverse mix • Where different boards are adding value • How board members’ motivations drive their levels of engagement • The importance of strong leadership and strong management of the board • Tensions caused by the two perspectives of the academic and business worlds • Future anticipated demands on business school advisory boards 49

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Often members agree to join the board as a way to give something back, so understanding the motivations that underlie this need can lead to the deeper engagement of these very busy people. As with any relationship, the dynamics work better when there is mutual benefit

We found clear evidence that investing time early on generates increased value for your school going forwards, through: • Clearly defining the role of your board aligned to your school’s vision, mission and importantly, its values, to ensure focus where you most need it and help achieve your strategic goals • Clarifying expectations and commitments in detailed Terms of Reference: outlining what is expected from board members AND what your school commits to in return • Carefully constructing or re-shaping your board with a mix that is diverse in every way including a breadth of expertise, demographics and network reach, to enable sharing of a wider range of experiences leading to innovative and creative solutions. Our report looks at how to create a pipeline of potential new board members and puts forward a case for their external recruitment.

• The addition to the board of another academic colleague such as an international, national or recently retired dean can help develop a valuable close relationship. This provides a source of knowledgeable advice on shared esoteric and internal school challenges although other board members may be concerned that competitive information will be shared in this way.

• Inducting board members into the business school and wider higher education world to challenge any pre-conceptions (especially important with alumni) and to provide a greater depth of understanding of terminology, structures, challenges, constrictions, decision-making processes, and where relevant, interaction with the parent university.

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So where are boards adding value and generating the greatest impact?

Our report identifies where and how advisory boards are adding the greatest value to their schools. Some areas are, as you might anticipate, strategic direction, school metrics, relevance and employability, identifying additional income opportunities and raising profile. However, other areas were also shared with us that were worth highlighting here: • The role of board members as advocates and ambassadors endorsing the school is something that has an impact not just externally but can have huge benefit with internal audiences in the business school and the wider university.

• The board no longer exists simply to provide personal support to the deans, there is increasing engagement of board members directly with school executive teams and in some cases, where facilitated, with faculty members and professional staff across the school.

• Some deans ask board members to support both the recruitment and the development of senior members of the school. This development of the senior leadership team is often encouraged in an organic way through greater interaction between and during meetings, where individual team members will present and discuss their work. One school shared that they have introduced a formal mentoring scheme that pairs up board members with new members of the school executive team, to support them in their new leadership role.

Business School Advisory Boards| Sarah Hardcastle

H A R D C A S T L E A S S O C I AT E S

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Business School Support

Business School Advisory Boards Maximising the Opportunity ce, challenges, A report sharing experien solutions and good practice.

S H A R I N G T H E E X P E R I E N C E F R O M

H A R D C A S T L E

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A S S O C I AT E S

For many more shared experiences, challenges, ideas, solutions and good practice, our free report is available along with our Terms of Reference Guide and Template by visiting: www.hardcastle. associates/ advisory-boards

When was the last time you thought about what you could do for your board members?

Our conversations identified noticeably different levels of board member engagement.

Often members agree to join the board as a way to give something back, so understanding the motivations that underlie this need can lead to the deeper engagement of these very busy people. As with any relationship, the dynamics work better when there is mutual benefit and so we ask you, do you really know your board members well, where their interests and passions lie, or do you only have an understanding of their areas of expertise and experience?

We found board member engagement will be increased through: • Facilitating networking: with other board members, relevant external stakeholders and members of the school and university • Making informed requests for their support linked to their expertise AND their interests • Defining agenda items that are topics of mutual interest and ones where the board feel they can add value • Keeping them up-to-date with innovations in education as a whole and specifically in professional development • Increasing visibility of the board and providing feedback as to where it is making an impact and where they are personally making a difference.

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Should you aim to balance the tensions from these two very different perspectives?

Advisory Board: “If I had that collective brainpower under one roof, we would commercialise and monetise that and actually have a super-margin business. Something that frustrates me is that within the academic world there is definitely a clash between money and academia. And the wall that you hit is that the academics do not want to be completely poisoned by people like me who just want to commercialise things and measure it in terms of how much money you can make.”

Business School: “We’re here because we love research; we love teaching. We love disseminating our ideas and discussing these points – it’s in the DNA of an academic; that’s why we get up in the morning to do this. It’s about knowledge acquisition and dissemination. I’m never convinced that members of the Advisory Board fully understand that.”

Definitely challenging and sometimes adding a healthy tension, the collaboration between business schools and business leaders is a meeting of two different mindsets that can be extremely beneficial for the schools, providing a true source of ideas and creativity.

Advisory Board: “What were the restrictions? Sometimes they seem self-imposed and we, the Board, ask searching questions about why things could not be done in a different way and we would quote our experiences as examples. And I think the Dean found that really helpful for idea generation.”

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Business School: “…and the Board have got a point really, why don’t we do that?”

However there is potential for frustration where there is lack of appreciation of the constraints placed on schools in contrast to the more agile business environment board members usually operate in.

Advisory Board: “I’ll tell you where the tension is: that universities like to move at a certain pace and you’ve got five executive people around the table who are used to dealing with shareholders and third-party stakeholders and if you don’t move at the right pace you don’t have a job.”

Schools often voiced the opinion that board members needed greater appreciation of the expectation upon the school to fulfil the role as income generator for the university and the difficult task of balancing this with the vision, mission and values of the business school.

Business School Advisory Boards| Sarah Hardcastle

Looking to the future with fast changing business and education environments, the role of the advisory board is expected to become even more important with schools needing an ever higher level of engagement for a range of support

When the future is unclear, how can your advisory board help?

Looking to the future with fast changing business and education environments, the role of the advisory board is expected to become even more important with schools needing an ever higher level of engagement for a range of support including: • finding different income streams • evaluating developments across different industries • understanding responses to the changing environment in board members’ particular businesses • providing ‘on the ground’ insight, advice and understanding of the status of play in different countries • understanding strategically and operationally how schools can assist regional economic recovery Business School: “I do think there’s scope for growth of advisory boards. To look at the American model and start using boards more skilfully than we do currently.

We tend to use them for curriculum development, research opportunities, consultancy. But what I’d like to see is the stuff that we don’t normally do – push us out of our comfort zone. And COVID-19, for all its problems, has created that window of opportunity now for us to do things differently.”

When is three not actually a crowd?

We leave you with this thought: it was clear from the wide-ranging interviews that those schools that nominated a member of their senior leadership team to manage their board alongside the strong leadership of the Chair and the Dean, did engender greater levels of engagement. This was achieved through multiple informal interactions with board members, regularly drawing them in and involving them in school activities and most of all, regularly asking for their help.

There was little doubt that the business schools we spoke to all highly value this source of external challenge, support and advice, striving to gain the maximum benefit for their schools.

Business School: “I’m always worried that we’re not being innovative enough with the Board, we’re not being creative enough. We’re not using their experiences in the real world, away from academia, to challenge us. They give us really good ideas around what we should be doing and where the gaps are. Pointing out what we shouldn’t be doing is equally something that they’re good at.”

About the Author Sarah Hardcastle is Director of Hardcastle Associates www.hardcastle.associates

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Ambidexterity strengthens quality management during COVID-19 Assessing the results of a survey examining the impact of COVID-19 on quality management and assurance practices in Nordic and Baltic business schools. By Ulrich Hommel, Bjรถrn Kjellander and Claire Thouary

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Ambidexterity strengthens quality management during COVID-19 | Ulrich Hommel, Björn Kjellander and Claire Thouary

Overall, the survey responses paint a positive and encouraging picture.

Naturally, business schools are still focused on coping with the short-term consequences of the pandemic, but they have cautiously started to think about the longer-term consequences of COVID-19

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The survey consisted of 17 structured interviews conducted between August and October 2020. The sample consists of four Finnish schools, three Norwegian schools, six Swedish schools, and one school each from Denmark and the three Baltic countries

he underlying objectives of the study were twofold. First, to investigate the business schools’ preferred mix of short-term crisis responses and more permanent adjustments based on the conjecture that the pandemic not only strains current operations but also changes more fundamental sector dynamics (e.g. related to the adoption of education technologies). The second and related objective is to see whether response patterns are in any way linked to institutional characteristics and type of regulatory oversight.

Covid-induced adjustments to business school operations are having fundamental implications for educational quality and assurance, whether in the context of dealing with restrictions to campus access, switching delivery pathways from face-toface to online instruction, implementing social distancing measures and hygiene policies on campus, or virtualising student support services.

While initial crisis responses had a strong ad-hoc flavour, many business schools have used the transition into the new academic year to formulate more deliberate approaches that also account for the inherent volatility of the pandemic itself. This survey takes a snapshot of where Nordic and Baltic business schools currently stand.

The survey consisted of 17 structured interviews conducted between August and October 2020.

The sample consists of four Finnish schools, three Norwegian schools, six Swedish schools, and one school each from Denmark and the three Baltic countries. 15 of the schools in the study carry at least one international accreditation label. Three institutions qualify as private institutions, while regulatory oversight of the other 14 schools differs according to national policy regimes and intraschool culture. Respondents included six deans/ directors, three associate deans of teaching and learning, three senior accreditation managers and five senior advisors to the school leadership. Given the geographic focus of the survey, it is not surprising to find an overall bias towards schools affiliated with the public university system.

Overall, the survey responses paint a positive and encouraging picture. Naturally, business schools are still focused on coping with the short-term consequences of the pandemic, but they have cautiously started to think about the longerterm consequences of COVID-19. The presence of a well-rooted culture of ambidexterity seems to be yielding handsome dividends to business schools in this context, i.e., they are effective in combining the ability to manage the short-term fall-out efficiently with a culture of forward thinking and adaptability. In contrast, tight regulatory oversight with quality metrics enforced by external bodies and linked to a funding model dominated by fiscal allocations encourages a continued emphasis on crisis management and a ‘wait-and-see’ approach when considering the impact of the pandemic on reshaping the academic ‘rules of the game’.

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This is illustrated by the perceived selfachievements in online provision before and since the outbreak of the pandemic. When the pandemic started, the overwhelming majority of sample schools saw themselves as being at the beginning of their journey towards online provision (1 or 2 on a 7-level Likert scale, representing an ordinal ranking from very low to very high), a view shared with many European business schools. Those most advanced are either lead institutions of the region with long-standing international reach or smaller players who stick out from their peers and are internationally recognised (although in each case they only have a maximum of 4 on a 7-level Likert scale).

Nevertheless, 15 sample schools rated their advancement in online provision as a result of Covid very confidently (6 or 7 on a 7-level Likert scale) which can only be explained by the pride and exuberance of having succeeded in going online with hardly any prep time. The same positive buzz could be seen in other parts of the global business school community. This response however supports the conclusion that nearly all sample schools are at the beginning of the process of discovering what ingredients they have to put in place to make online education a rewarding and memorable experience for students. At the least, we can see a sector consensus emerging that such development entails more than delivering content via Zoom, MS Teams or similar platforms and the simultaneous use of enrichment apps such as Slack, Padlet or Kahoot.

In this context, it was also concerning to observe that sample schools were not starting the autumn term with an adjustment of strategy in place (or even underway). Schools are either continuing to undertake actions in crisis management mode or are simply advancing existing (but partially ambitious), pre-Covid online / ed-tech agendas.

While nearly all schools believe that the disruptive push into online delivery will to some extent be retained, the more sceptical schools tend to be small, operating in a captive market, and more reliant on governmental funding.

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Sample schools also differentiate themselves in the way they are investing in faculty development.

One school with multiple international accreditations reported an expanded remit for the teaching & learning unit to assist faculty with the technological and pedagogical move to on-line delivery, another had already been doing so for a while already. Other schools seem to have relied on more or less formalised sharing of best practice as faculty was moving online as a group. In general, plans for more systematic faculty training during the current year have not yet been confirmed.

Again, that puts the ambidextrous schools at an advantage.

A similar picture emerges when examining the business schools’ quality assurance activities more closely. For many schools, adjusting the assessment regime to an online delivery format was the most pressing challenge, and they handled this with pragmatic (impromptu) adjustments of established policies to ensure the orderly completion of the spring term. The autumn term has not been handled any differently in most sample schools, independent of whether students were being forced into online learning due to a second Covid wave or whether they were given the option of online participation within a hybrid teaching framework.

Ambidexterity strengthens quality management during COVID-19 | Ulrich Hommel, Björn Kjellander and Claire Thouary

An old saying in corporate restructuring is that crises are unique opportunities to reshape and improve a company’s future.

The same applies to business schools.

The survey responses underscore the fact that ambidextrous schools are able to avoid getting tied up in short-term crisis management

Schools with an international posture and positioning have begun to evaluate the need for policy changes re. quality management, but with still uncertain outcomes; their over-compliance with respect to external quality assurance standards apparently justifies such a measured approach. In contrast, the majority of schools in the sample are not addressing potential alterations of quality management policies just yet or how quality assurance is to be operationalized and resourced going forward. Their 'wait and see' approach reflects unaltered external quality assessment constraints imposed by national authorities.

Sample schools have come to accept that COVID-19 is also broadening the remit for teaching and learning as well as quality assurance departments. The lack of physical presence on campus means students are becoming disconnected from the school, their professors, friends and campus life in general. This is all the more difficult for foreign students who have decided to pursue their degree virtually from their home country. Some schools are now responding by paying more attention to pastoral care to manage students’ mental well-being. This also helps address emerging student frustrations that can ultimately feed into lower satisfaction scores. Further, Asian students often intend to use their studies as a vehicle for entering local labour markets. Schools are finding it much harder to meet placement expectations in an environment with tightening labour markets and far fewer touchpoints with practitioners during a period of social distancing that will cover the entire length of their programme for some students.

In sum, this study demonstrates the importance of combining effective day-to-day management of operations with the ability to step back and reflect on the more fundamental implications that may warrant an institutional response in terms of strategy, asset configuration and competence development. The sample includes a number of schools that have overcome this double hurdle with ease. Organisational theorists call such institutions 'ambidextrous' while risk managers use the labels 'resilient' or even 'antifragile'.

An old saying in corporate restructuring is that crises are unique opportunities to reshape and improve a company’s future. The same applies to business schools. The survey responses underscore the fact that ambidextrous schools are able to avoid getting tied up in short-term crisis management. They are comfortable with adjusting their development trajectory to account for the eventualities of the ongoing pandemic. This ability seems to derive from greater investment in international quality standards (to be interpreted as an organisational esprit de corps) and also from being more financially exposed to the pandemic.

About the Authors Ulrich Hommel is Professor of Corporate and Higher Education Finance at EBS University of Business & Law, Founding Partner and Managing Director of XOLAS, as well as Senior Advisor of EFMD Global Network Björn Kjellander is Director of Quality Assurance and Accreditation at Jönköping International Business School. He is the incoming Chair of the AACSB European Affinity Group Board and an EFMD Quality Assurance Academy mentor Claire Thouary is the founder of QACE UP and Senior Consultant of XOLAS. She assists higher education institutions in their quality management and accreditation processes. She previously held the position of Quality and International Accreditations Director at emlyon Business School (France)

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Santiago Garcia and Flavio Alzueta address the importance, responsibility and impact of agriculture and food production

Business Schools' Green Responsibility: Let's start at the table!

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Business Schools' Green Responsibility: Let's start at the table! | Santiago Garcia and Flavio Alzueta

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s this year’s Nobel Prize Awarding Committee stated, “Until the day we have a medical vaccine, food is the best vaccine against chaos”.

The awarding of the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize to the World Food Program (WFP) of the United Nations is clear recognition of the importance of food, particularly in times of crisis.

The current COVID-19 pandemic has shattered the way of life, health and economies of some entire nations. Yet while many sectors of the economy and industry have been struggling, one sector that remains as resilient as it is necessary is food and agribusiness, an industry that represents $5 trillion globally, providing employment (and livelihoods) to over one billion people, or 28% of the world´s workforce. The importance, responsibility and impact of agriculture and food production does not rest solely on its role as a provider of much-needed animal or human feedstuff. Major environmental consequences result from this activity, with agriculture, forestry and related activities accounting for the use of 40-50% of existing landmass and about a quarter of all human greenhouse gas emissions.

In the face of this context, what are business schools doing? Or, what could they do?

The answer to the first question is, unfortunately, “not very much”. It is true that some universities offer technical or engineering training on forestry, agriculture, land and water management, and related activities. Alongside these specialised technical courses, some business schools also have a very limited selection of agribusiness programmes, mostly at post-graduate level.

However, the International School of AgriManagement (ISAM), launched in Spain in 2019, is the first international school fully specialised in this field. Until then, no business school had emerged with the primary raison d´être of developing a highly specialised workforce in the management of vital activities in the primary sector, encompassing agricultural production, land and water management, fisheries and animal husbandry As for the second question of what business schools could do, we can easily gauge from societal, environmental and economic demands that most of our current challenges and priorities relate to the two broad areas of Securing Increased Demand and Green Operations.

Securing Increased Demand According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, by 2030 the world will need to feed two billion more people than at present. This reflects an increased demand of 60% above today´s production levels, while at the same time, a record number of 440 million people will be suffering from chronic malnourishment.

Business schools must be part of the solution to this challenge, and as educational leaders, we must ensure this issue is a priority. To truly serve society, as most of us pledge in our schools´ mission statements, we must become active solutionseekers in the face of this daunting scenario.

Instead of one radical and overarching solution, the situation may be better tackled through the use of a multi-pronged strategy.

Reducing food waste alone can have a strong impact: according to the FAO, we manage to waste an enormous 1.3 billion tonnes of food each year.

In the US, for example, the journey from harvesting to supermarket shelf sees a total loss of 22% of food production, worth an estimated $400 million, mostly due to poor farming activities, storage and transportation. Reducing food waste also has important collateral benefits: bear in mind that when we waste food, we also waste the water and energy used in growing, transporting, storing or packaging. Furthermore, food in a landfill will only contribute to pollution and rotting, producing methane and thereby exacerbating climate change.

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As part of The EU's Green Deal, by 2030 sales of antimicrobials for farmed animals and aquiculture, responsible for an estimated 33,000 deaths in the EU, are to be reduced by 50%

Upcycling is now becoming a trend with strong potential to maximise the use of food. In addition to the obvious advantages of maximising food availability, transforming food waste material (e.g. seeds, peels, etc.) into value-added products has a positive economic impact, estimated at $46.7 billion in the US alone, in 2019. There are also obvious societal benefits in terms of job creation, affordability of food, or environmental health, and our mission here is to act as a catalyst to study and encourage these practices.

Boosting crop yields is another suggested strategy for increasing food availability. Wide use of hydroponic techniques, whereby crops are grown without soil using mineral nutrients, can yield production increases of between threefold and tenfold, while also reducing the lag between harvesting and consumption. In addition to productivity gains, water use may be reduced by up to 90% and the use of fertilisers and pesticides can be minimised as production happens in a controlled environment. Similarly, vertical farming in cities allows food to be produced in reliable cycles and close to the consumer, reducing the carbon footprint as the need for transportation is diminished.

Green Operations Fortunately, the generations we are currently educating embrace sustainability and the environment as primary responsibilities. These concerns, shared by the European Union, are reflected in the European Green Deal, a strategy articulated with the ultimate goal of making Europe carbon neutral by 2050.

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At the heart of the Green Deal lies the “Farm to Fork” strategy, which links with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and as such “addresses comprehensively the challenges of sustainable food systems and recognises the inextricable links between healthy people, healthy societies and a healthy planet”.

Under the Farm to Fork strategy, goals are set to (1) Make sure Europeans have access to healthy, affordable and sustainable food; (2) Tackle climate change; (3) Protect the environment and preserve biodiversity; (4) Ensure a fair economic return in the supply chain; and (5) Increase organic farming.

Three specific areas, interwoven among them, are critical for achieving the Farm to Fork goals: Organic food production remains a fundamental pillar for the health of people and the environment, and to achieve this, the EU has set strict targets for 2030. By then, the use of hazardous chemicals and pesticides must be decreased by 50% while organic farmland must increase to 25% of total cultivated land. Along the same lines, sales of antimicrobials for farmed animals and aquiculture, responsible for an estimated 33,000 deaths in the EU, are to be reduced by 50%.

Paradoxically, long-standing organic food producers actively voice their opposition to such targets, as they see the wider availability of environmentally sustainable and healthy produce as reducing their current competitive advantage as first movers. Understanding the nuances and dynamics of policy design and implementation, even when in principle these are intended for the general good, is a fundamental task and educational institutions should not ignore it.

Business Schools' Green Responsibility: Let's start at the table! | Santiago Garcia and Flavio Alzueta

The benefits of good agriculture and business practices extend well beyond the table. Although business schools have not been particularly apt at harnessing the moment and concocting winning recipes, current challenges should make us review our priorities

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In North America a total of 22% of food is lost during the phases of handling and storage, processing and distribution. This figure raises to an eye watering 57% in Sub-Saharan Africa

Improving the Supply Chain is an axis of action that may have huge positive financial and environmental consequences. To produce a chocolate bar in the UK, palm oil is sourced from Indonesia, calcium sulphate from India, cocoa from Colombia/Venezuela, salt from China, milk and wheat from Kazakhstan, sugar from Brazil, and proteins from the US. Reducing carbon emissions and improving financial gains from cargo and route optimisation are two sides of the same coin. For this, the key is careful planning and sharing of transportation networks backed by big data and intelligent systems to ensure on-time delivery, save storage space, and reduce food loss.

In addition to improving distribution, we may also make significant gains by universalising good practices in automatisation, sorting, manipulation, storage and packaging. Whereas in North America a total of 22% of food is lost during the phases of handling and storage, processing and distribution, this figure raises to an eye watering 57% in SubSaharan Africa.

Soil Protection alone can be a major game changer for radically improving health and the environment. Severely degraded soils due to deforestation, monoculture, tiling, and heavy use of fertilisers result in desertification and a decrease of land productivity. According to the UN, 74% of people living under the poverty line are affected by soil degradation.

In addition to the obvious environmental benefits of using soil as a natural CO2 sink through photosynthesis, there are financial gains to be had by the deployment of green practices that go

beyond the obvious one of obtaining premium prices for ecological produce. Issuing CO2 reduction certificates derived from environmentally-friendly farming practices offers responsible farmers financial benefits while doing good, since the sale of these carbon bonds in the international carbon market may constitute an additional source of income.

As we can see, the benefits of good agriculture and business practices extend well beyond the table. Although business schools have not been particularly apt at harnessing the moment and concocting winning recipes, current challenges should make us review our priorities. There are economic and societal gains to be had and as such, we must be, if not acclaimed chefs, at least qualified cooks able to teach students how to put together the right menu, wisely combining financial gains and sustainable practices so we can serve up a better future for all.

At Rennes School of Business we have decided that this matter is of critical importance. Planting the seeds for this better future, we contributed to the goals laid out in this article by designating Agribusiness/Agrifinance, as well as the Green Supply Chain, as two of our areas of research excellence. To complement this expertise and bring knowledge to the ground (pun intended), we have become the academic founding partner of ISAM, the world's first International School of Agri Management. The seeds are sown for a better future for all.

See you at our table? Food is on us!

About the Authors Santiago Garcia, Ph.D. is Dean of the Global School at Rennes School of Business, Vice-President of the Advisory Board at ISAM, and Distinguished Professor at ICEA, Universidad de La Sabana Flavio Alzueta is President of the Advisory Board and a founding partner of ISAM

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200k

Our default brain, which has not changed materially in 200,000 years, is not ideal for this new world.

It does not like change which we face at an increasing intensity

John Knights discusses new leadership and education for the information age

We call it Transpersonal!

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We call it Transpersonal! | John Knights

COVID-19 has been an interesting experiment in how we humans have reacted to an emergency and been forced into change. It would be fair to say that those countries with the foresight and resources to be prepared for a pandemic and those with a more collaborative style of government fared better than those without

O

ne of the reasons for the success of the Industrial Age in the Western world was the introduction of education for all. Though there are many parts of the world where the standard remains inadequate, in macro terms education has continually increased across the globe. Its focus has been fundamentally on literacy and numeracy with other cognitive subjects added for the more advantaged. Again, in macro terms, economies have blossomed, and living standards have increased along with health and life expectancy.

But our planet has suffered.

Post COVID-19 and immersed in the new Information Age, we have to determine what kind of education we need for our young people for this revolution, and what form of society will be most successful. Agility is required more than ever before, our societies are polarised, equality and fairness are high on the agenda, and we need to take care of our planet. To meet these challenges, education must focus on the development of the human being as a whole so that we can continue to prosper as a species.

Our default brain, which has not changed materially in 200,000 years, is not ideal for this new world. It does not like change – which we face at an increasing intensity. Our brain wants to be in control and exhibits powerful (usually negative) emotions.

Our most impactful emotion is fear, so we are naturally suspicious of those unlike ourselves, and this breeds division, competition and inequality.

Our brain needs to embrace change, and in a world of increasing complexity we need to learn to be more collaborative.

As we go through life, we encounter a range of experiences and learning opportunities which rewire our brain. By the very nature of things, this rewiring may create a positive or negative change.

As most of this process happens unconsciously, the impact these experiences and learning have on our brain – and so also on behaviours, beliefs and attitudes – is very much down to chance.

Where the changes are positive, we overcome our defaults and, as a result, function more effectively.

COVID-19 has been an interesting experiment in how we humans have reacted to an emergency and been forced into change. It would be fair to say that those countries with the foresight and resources to be prepared for a pandemic and those with a more collaborative style of government fared better than those without. These are good pointers to the kind of leadership we need in the future.

Our survival instinct has made us change.

Organisations have been ‘forced’ to trust their employees to work remotely. According to some experts, what was a slow trend towards remote working has accelerated by as many as five or six years. Governments and organisations are also being forced to adapt in other ways too like transport, education and the location and type of services required for the future. But despite our cognitive pre-frontal cortex trying to bring rational thinking into our plans for the future, the resistance to change, controlled unconsciously to a large extent by our amygdala evoking strong emotions and impulsive actions, remains.

So, what if we could replace this serendipitous journey of learning through experience with one of planned education and learning such that everyone had the knowledge and power to re-programme their own brain? To enable them to overcome the negative defaults so that it was more suited to twenty-first century needs? How can we make it both intentional and accelerated? How can we enable more people to not only reach this higher level of human development but also at a younger age?

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Transpersonal Leaders Transpersonal Leaders operate beyond their ego and continue personal development and learning. They are radical, ethical and authentic while emotionally intelligent and caring.

They are able to: • embed authentic, ethical and emotionallyintelligent behaviours into the DNA of the organisation • build strong, empathetic and collaborative relationships within the organisation, and • with all stakeholders create a Performance Enhancing Culture that is Ethical, Caring and Sustainable

Our solution has been to create the Transpersonal Leadership Development Journey (TLDJ), a programme of development for leaders.

It is explained in detail in Leading Beyond the Ego: How to Become a Transpersonal Leader, published

by Routledge and summarised in the peer-reviewed paper Developing 21st Century Leaders, a Complete New Process https://www.emerald.com/insight/ content/doi/10.1108/JWAM-12-2019-0038/full/html One foundation of our programme is Kegan’s model of human development “The Five Stages of the Evolving Self” which specifies three levels of adult development: the socialised mind, the self-authoring mind and the self-transforming mind.

Kegan’s research demonstrated that very few people (less than 1%) reach the self-transforming stage and those that do are most usually in the later stages of their life.

The Self-Transforming Stage: They have learned the limits of their own inner systems and indeed of having an inner system or specific world view at all. They have a reformed ego. They reach out for similarities with others rather than differences. These individuals no longer see the world as black and white, rather seeing the world in shades of grey.

They lead in order to learn. These individuals can hold contradictions, work with ambiguity, find solutions from adversity, and move from the linear to the holistic.

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Ethical

SI Spiritual Intelligence

RI Rational Intelligence

EI Emotional Intelligence

Performance enhancing

Other underpinnings of the TLDJ model include work by Senge (5th Discipline), Greenleaf (Servant Leadership), Goleman’s treatise on leadership and emotional intelligence (Primal Leadership), Zohar’s book on Spiritual Intelligence and Sadler-Smith (Intuition).

We call themTranspersonal Leaders, as defined in the box top left.

The model is well developed and continues to be updated and refined by client experience, developing neuroscience and societal changes.

It can most simply be defined by this diagram.

The programme has been accredited to Master's degree level and is available through a licensing model to universities and business schools as well as being delivered directly (and remotely) to organisations through partners around the world.

Our focus has been on developing leaders suitable for the twenty-first century, firstly because that is where our experience lay, and secondly because if we don’t have the right kind of leaders to implement and monitor such fundamental change, no systemic approach will be successful.

Moving beyond the development of senior leaders, we believe this model has a much greater potential in three areas: 1. As a standard module in all university programmes 2. As a model behind systemic organisational development 3. In all schools – from foundation upwards

Caring and sustainable

We call it Transpersonal! | John Knights

One of our own areas of development is further integrating the concept of Complex Adaptive Systems (CASs) with Transpersonal Leadership.

We have started by connecting the basic characteristics of CASs to a series of 11 Transpersonal Practices that provide a checklist of how organisations need to function in the future.

Complex Adaptive Systems • are made up of many individual parts or agents • follow simple rules • provide no leader to coordinate the action of others • generate emergent patterns through the interaction of agents • react and adapt if the elements of the system change

As a standard module in all university programmes Currently, the Transpersonal Leadership (TL) model is offered through licensing to higher education primarily as a module (”course” in the USA) in an MBA programme and infused into other modules, or as a stand-alone Master’s degree. However, most functional courses (engineering, fashion, media, etc.) could benefit from a module on leadership, preparing young adults for the organisation of the future which will be less hierarchical and have more distributed and evolved leadership.

As a model behind systemic organisational development There is much discussion and innovation in the field of Organisational Development about how to build people development into the core of the culture and operations of an organisation. Kegan & Lahey in “An Everyone Culture” propose developing Deliberately Developmental Organisations (DDOs).

Our view is to start with developing the individuals (everyone is a leader) and the systems will emerge.

If we have the people with the right attitudes, values and behaviours (as well as the cognitive abilities that are not in such short supply) then the people in each organisation (macro or micro) will be capable of developing suitable systems to fit their context.

In all schools – from foundation, upwards This is more of a dream as I am the first to acknowledge my lack of expertise in child education. But surely, if we added social development (behaviours, values and preserving our planet) to the curriculum and gave it equal importance to reading, writing and maths, we would already be laying the groundwork of developing the leaders of the future. I know schools who provide emotional intelligence studies but the subject seems to be always offered for those with learning or behavioural challenges rather than for everyone.

The result would be an education system suitable for the fast-changing Information Age. This would prepare everyone to be more collaborative, caring and purpose-oriented. And that would produce the willing discretionary effort and hence productivity that is often lacking today. It may even make our TLDJ redundant – and that would be a success!

About the Author John Knights is Chair of LeaderShape Global and lead author of “Leading Beyond The Ego: How to Become a Transpersonal Leader”, published by Routledge in March 2018. After a career as a senior international corporate executive and serial entrepreneur, John’s life changed when he learned to coach and then facilitate groups of chief executives to support them continue their development. This, plus the experience and research of working with many other leaders over the last 20 years, as well as a reflection on his own career, provides the basis for John and his colleagues to develop the Transpersonal Leadership journey. John is an Associate of GRLI

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Examining business school leadership Views from EFMD’s webinar on business school leadership,

by Julie Davies, Ewan Ferlie, Heather McLaughlin and Howard Thomas

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Examining business school leadership | Julie Davies, Ewan Ferlie, Heather McLaughlin and Howard Thomas

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usiness school leaders are ‘squeezed’ by a range of internal metrics. These metrics focus on a micro-managed narrow range of key performance indicators (KPIs) to raise revenues, research, and rankings. This style of financial centralised control has, in many cases, distracted deans and their teams from seriously addressing long-standing crises that the current global pandemic has brought to the fore. This article captures discussions from EFMD’s webinar on business school leadership which is part of "the future of the business school" seminar series.

Crisis leadership The terms "crisis management" and "crisis leadership" are used interchangeably. Yet, crisis leaders are expected to establish a sense of purpose, and inspire and motivate individuals to align their efforts to the context and culture of the organisation. In interviews carried out by Julie Davies pre-pandemic with business school deans about critical incidents, crisis leadership behaviours found to be effective included listening, reflexivity, empathy, treating people with dignity, and taking time to make decisions based on evidence, ethics and moral humility.

Often the terms 'crisis management' and 'crisis leadership' are used interchangeably. Yet, crisis leaders are expected to establish a sense of purpose, and inspire, and motivate individuals to align their efforts to the context and culture of their organisation

Many deans, however, have been in denial about the need to tackle deep-rooted crises and changing business school models and systems.

The dominant model of positivism has persisted, with faculty incentivised to publish articles in top tier journals that practising managers never read (Peters & Thomas, 2020). The COVID-19 crisis has shown that business schools have largely ignored repeated calls for a renewed sense of purpose to attend to social and technological disruptions.

This is despite initiatives such as PRME, the Aspen Institute, and the Responsible Research for Business and Management (RRBM) network.

The global public health crisis has exposed a lack of investment by business schools in digital education and inattention to the core curriculum, in how to handle financial and social inclusion, climate change, and other environmental challenges. Further, business schools and relevant accreditation bodies have also been remiss in addressing issues of the affordability of, and accessibility to, management education and the importance of meaningful stakeholder engagement and impact.

Hamel (1996: 113) commented that teaching in business schools 'is a little bit like being a manager in an earthquake zone. Never before has the gap between our own tools and the reality of emerging industry been larger'. He argued that in a mature sector, there are opportunities to redraw the map.

This can be achieved by looking at the evolution of business school approaches beyond traditional models in the West and Global North and to re-evaluating the size of business schools and their offerings (Davies & Starkey, 2020). It is important to appreciate that there do exist different forms of management education that genuinely reflect local cultures, contexts, and competitive environments.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution to upskill individuals for recovery in acute and chronic crises (Thomas, Lorange & Sheth, 2013).

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Current debates and responses during the pandemic The Global Business Education Jam (Carlile, Davidson, Freeman, Thomas & Venkatraman, 2016) provided the opportunity for many business school leaders to debate issues and challenges in innovating, reducing theory-practice relevance gaps, and re-imagining the distinctive models of business schools. Business schools have innovated incrementally in response to declining MBA enrolments by offering electives in data analytics, STEM modules, and links with other parts of their universities such as engineering and medicine.

Schools such as Questrom School of Business, Boston University, and Singapore Management University (SMU) offer employer-relevant active and experiential learning through MSMS and SMU-X programmes respectively.

Other business schools such as Cardiff Business School and Copenhagen Business School provide interesting examples of addressing public and social values in contrast with many examples of business model conformity. There has also been greater interest in generating management impact through research and applied project partnerships that involve multiple stakeholders for knowledge co-creation. Deans indicate that increasingly, students are more socially aware and expect to discuss issues of social justice, diversity, corporate social responsibility, and climate change in relation to management decision-making.

Deans must act proactively to adapt to a more virtual learning environment where faculty training and technology-enabled skills facilitate the creation of balanced dynamic learning communities for both immediate and lifelong learning. Following the COVID-19 outbreak, there was a flurry of public webinars where business school faculty members discussed the pandemic, with events hosted by, for instance, Lagos Business School (Nigeria), Saïd Business School (UK), and Wellington School of Business and Government (New Zealand). Indeed, some schools provided free courses for businesses, entrepreneurs and new graduates, with programmes from, for instance, Aalto in Finland on change leadership, Fundação Dom Cabral’s programme to support (micro) entrepreneurs and workers in the informal economy in Brazil, and Universiti Utara Malaysia School of Management’s workshop on personal 68

Some business schools have innovated incrementally in response to declining MBA enrolments by offering electives in data analytics, STEM modules, and links with other parts of their universities such as engineering and medicine

Examining business school leadership | Julie Davies, Ewan Ferlie, Heather McLaughlin and Howard Thomas

branding. There were also acts of compassion amongst business schools such as support for students’ financial hardship and need to access laptops and reliable Wi-Fi. Business school alumni and students organised their own philanthropy and fundraising efforts. Some business school faculty have also taken a lead in engaging with COVID-related research projects.

During the pandemic there were, however, few examples of business schools rewarding faculty efforts in digital education. Exceptions include the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, University of Szeged, Hungary, and in SMU. There were also limited examples from business school websites of the kind of fun and open-ended support for students as offered at Audencia in France.

What “appears” to work in leading through the crisis in a new university in the UK In the context of a large modern English university, Heather McLaughlin reflected, in her own words, on her roles as Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Dean of the Faculty of Business and Law at De Montfort University (DMU), Leicester, which she joined in January 2020.

"First, as a member of the University’s executive

board with pan-university responsibility for community and civic engagement, I have found that the global pandemic has really helped to develop the University’s senior leadership team, with members supporting common goals. At the outset of the crisis, there were three-hour daily board meetings to lead on macro-level issues of student recruitment and finances. We developed a shared leadership model of mutual respect, sharing tactical and operational decisions, and gained really useful insights into each other’s portfolios. The virtual meetings helped us focus on the business at hand and the chat and side chat functions enabled further discussions. The public health crisis and campus closure demonstrated that we have adapted to working in different ways. In my position as a Pro-Vice-Chancellor on the University’s senior management board, I see my key roles are networking, championing the faculty, and co-innovating across the University in making changes during the crisis.

Second, my role as Dean is to lead the faculty that includes Leicester Castle Business School In 2019/20, the school had 7,500 students, including 30 percent from overseas, and 350 staff with a growing research culture. The school is rooted in the local community and I see our business school model as one that contributes to the public good. Current students want to see issues of social justice, climate change, and corporate social responsibility in the curriculum.

Leicester Castle Business School is a global hub for the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 16 to advance peace, justice and strong institutions.

There have been many internal discussions about providing resources to enable staff and students to work remotely and preparations to re-open the campus gradually. During the crisis, we have reflected on the nature of our operations, e.g. do we need to offer all modules, what efficiencies can we make in options, how can we use space differently, how do we develop asynchronous sessions and a sense of community with reduced face-to-face contact?

We are grappling with how we will deal with virtual delivery or a hybrid offering of both personal face-to-face and more remote teaching.

How the dean works with people, the human dimension of the job, is always very important, but particularly during a crisis. Staff have 69

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undergone a whole range of emotions – anxiety and stress in relation to media speculation about sector-wide redundancies and the internal need to focus on teaching methods. The rumour mill has been rife and this can cause anxiety contagion. At the same time, however, there has been a tremendous amount of collegiality with people pulling together for the common cause and only limited instances of selfish behaviour.

We communicate in different ways – top down and bottom up, using all faculty events, webinars, weekly virtual coffee mornings, drop-in sessions and Yammer to upload good news stories.

Listening and two-way communications are key. I see the dean’s roles in relation to leading the Faculty of Business and Law as an enabler, supporter, and community builder.

Third, from an individual perspective in terms of personal well-being, how do I retain my own sanity with the incessant barrage of Zoom meetings?

There has been a lot of regular chatter on WhatsApp and Teams, sharing experiences and ideas with fellow deans under the Chatham House rule, often with a gin and tonic involved at the end of the week.

I have also re-purposed my garden summerhouse as a beach hut to relax in at the end of the day."

Ideas for a research agenda In discussing a research agenda for leading business schools in the next decade, Ewan Ferlie proposed that studying deans’ leadership styles and approaches is still an important topic as deans have key roles in influencing the design and delivery of management education. As well as focusing on the individual level of the dean, it is also important to examine the wider leadership constellation in business schools, including the diversity of senior leadership teams and their interactions with university administrators and advisory boards. Variations in leadership styles in business schools nationally and internationally are under-researched. How do the leadership theories we teach in business schools help us understand our own forms of transactional, transformational, and distributed leadership?

There has been growing research on business schools as they represent major and expanding sites of knowledge production and offer some of the most popular degrees globally.

In Australia, for example, a third of all students 70

Although there has been some progress in the UK and USA with more women deans, there are also opportunities for further research on equity, diversity and inclusion in the leadership of business school and to assess differences in leadership behaviours in different contexts and cultures

and over half of the international students at Australian universities graduate from the business schools that are members of the Australian Business Deans Council. Pettigrew et al. (2014) analysed the institutional development of business schools, rankings and branding wars and critiqued the intellectual, professional and economic challenges faced by these important academic units. There have also been on-going debates about the legitimacy of business schools.

Management scholars have discussed alternative models of business schools based on greater civic engagement, or the humanities, as well as arguing for closer interdisciplinary integration within the university (e.g. Harney & Thomas, 2020). Different forms of organising and governance and levels of experimentation have been suggested. Yet despite discussions about new structures and models, there is a common theme of similar models and isomorphism in research on the management education field. These are mediated by Financial Times and other rankings, accreditation bodies, a limited number of management textbooks and top journals (usually based in the USA), and by nationally regulated metrics in some countries.

Examining business school leadership | Julie Davies, Ewan Ferlie, Heather McLaughlin and Howard Thomas

There are wider national cultural and political institutional differences that affect the nature of the business school curriculum and the nature of a dean’s autonomy and openness to outsiders.

Furthermore, a wider discourse of purposeful capitalism has emerged (e.g. Thomas & HedrickWong, 2019) looking beyond shareholder capitalism. Varieties of capitalism influence the formation of business schools in different contexts.

These explain different types of leadership styles.

For example, there are various clusters of types of business school. These include the North American group, the UK and continental Europe, Northern European and Nordic models, South East Asian and Indian clusters, developmental states, and the Global South as well as schools in Africa and South America that operate in diverse regional economic and social contexts.

As universities and business schools evolve, what are the implications for business school deans and their degrees of freedom to shape the future of management education? In developing a useful research agenda, we need to understand more about who deans are, their careers, motivations and identities. In particular, some business school deans are 'hybrid' professionals who combine multiple roles as active management scholars and university executives, while others are full-time administrators with substantial former careers outside academia. How do deans balance their attention between central and business school demands and their personal and colleagues’ scholarship? How do deans relate to their academic colleagues and to the university centre in balancing different points of view and priorities? We might identify a parallel between business school deans and medical directors in healthcare or lead partners in professional service firms (e.g. consulting) in their roles as boundary spanners. Although there has been some progress in the UK and USA with more women deans, there are also opportunities for further research on equity, diversity and inclusion in the leadership of business school and to assess differences in leadership behaviours in different contexts and cultures.

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Conclusion Finally, Howard Thomas summarises discussions from the EFMD webinar and draws some conclusions.

Howard Thomas attempted to summarise discussions from the webinar and to draw some conclusions. University-based business school leaders have a difficult job operating in the ‘squeezed middle’ range of institutions and in creating a sense of community during various crises of trust and confidence. Deans need to be more courageous in re-drawing management education fit for the 21st century digital economy and the challenges arising from the immediate jobs crisis. They must recognise the importance of balancing technology enhanced and face-to-face in person learning approaches in order to facilitate individual and group learning. Our colleagues and students are, after all, social animals and for young university students, in particular, universities are places where they grow and mature as individuals.

The basket of KPIs that dominate deans’ lives as universities try to micro-manage the business school ‘cash cow’ to generate income for other parts of the university must change.

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The fixation on citations and publications in top journals for the sake of reputation surely also needs to change as international and domestic student flows shift and schools move towards greater support for local, regional, and national well-being and strong economic recovery as well as student employability. The importance of digital education and assessment during the pandemic has triggered an urgent need to redesign business schools to fit the digital environment and changes in social behaviour that have emerged during the COVID-19 public health crisis.

The speed and agility with which business schools shifted to virtual delivery, and their heightened awareness of social injustices and inequality of opportunity are examples of clear crisis leadership during the pandemic. Deans must now follow up and take meaningful action to address concerns about inclusive growth, social justice, and employability. They need to demonstrate clearly the impact of management education and research on wider communities and lead social and economic debates.

There are justifiable concerns that deans’ immediate short-term efforts will be focused on blended learning models and on retaining tuition

Examining business school leadership | Julie Davies, Ewan Ferlie, Heather McLaughlin and Howard Thomas

Going forward, we should encourage a greater appreciation of different models of business schools and leadership.

Western countries can certainly learn from other parts of the world that until now have had more experience of preparing for and dealing with public health, climate, and other crises in contexts that may exemplify more sustainable forms of capitalism and inclusive growth

fee income to compensate for potential losses of income from international students rather than on progressing research and innovation. There are opportunities for business schools to lead in planning lifelong learning and reskilling others and themselves in order to redraw a better map of the business school landscape and evolution.

It is essential, therefore, to continue developing a greater focus on localism to support the recovery of SMEs, regional businesses, and national economies, alongside fostering the design of hybrid education models that encompass digital and face-to-face education that will enable university campuses to re-open successfully.

The dominant US model of business schools has been imitated everywhere. However, that is only one form of business school structure for organising teaching and research. Going forward, we should encourage a greater appreciation of different models of business schools and leadership. Western countries can certainly learn from other parts of the world that until now have had more experience of preparing for and dealing with public health, climate, and other crises in contexts that may exemplify more sustainable forms of capitalism and inclusive growth.

The COVID-19 crisis has completely changed attitudes and economies. Every business school professor who previously resisted technology has had to teach online, and many have found it enjoyable. Can a hybrid form of management education be delivered to balance technology with face-to-face socialisation? What is the purpose of a business school in society? It is not just about undergraduate programmes, but also

about programmes for lifelong learning. Bite-sized modules for upskilling become incredibly important, especially where there is a digital divide. There is public distrust of some universities, with many questions raised about access, affordability, and value for money. This implies the need for much better communications about what business schools do, explaining the value of management education for working in uncertain environments.

Deans and other management educators must enable all students,irrespective of the students’ backgrounds, to gain access to technology and education. Deans must also engage with important research questions about grand societal challenges and develop methodologies and agendas to enhance business schools’ strategic directions to achieve significant impact and legitimacy.

As EFMD’s seminar series on “the future of the business school” continues, in person and in virtual form, we look forward to further networking and debates from theoretical and practical perspectives to exchange insightful viewpoints on what needs to be done.

References Carlile, P.R., Davidson, S.H., Freeman, K.W., Thomas, H, & Venkatraman, N. (2016) Reimagining business education: Insights and actions from the BUSINESS EDUCATION JAM. Bingley: Emerald.

Davies, J. and Starkey, K. (2020) Can we save the business school?

Academy of Management Learning & Education, 19(1): 116–120.

Hamel, G. (1996) In EFMD Training the fire brigade. Preparing for the unimaginable. Brussels: EFMD, 113.

Harney, S. and Thomas, H. (2020) The liberal arts and management education. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Peters, K. and Thomas, H. (2020) The triumph of nonsense in management studies: A commentary. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 19(2): 236–239.

Pettigrew, A.M., Cornuel, E. and Hommel, U. (Eds.) (2014) The institutional development of business schools. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Thomas, H. and Hedrick-Wong, Y. (2019) Inclusive growth: The global challenges of social inequality and financial inclusion. Bingley: Emerald.

Thomas, H., Lorange, P. and Sheth, J. (2013) The business school in the 21st century. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

About the Authors Dr Julie Davies is a Reader in the Decent Work and Productivity Research Centre, Faculty of Business & Law, Manchester Metropolitan University, UK Prof. Ewan Ferlie is Professor of Public Services Management, King’s Business School, King’s College London, UK Prof. Heather McLaughlin is Pro Vice-Chancellor Community & Civic Engagement and Dean of the Faculty of Business and Law, De Montfort University, UK Prof. Howard Thomas is Emeritus Professor and former Dean of Lee Kong Chian School of Business, SMU, Singapore, and Senior Advisor at EFMD.

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Exploring the new relevance of innovative teaching formats for sustainability education in business schools

by Carmela Aprea and Laura Marie Edinger-Schons

Sustainability Games

In recent years, innovation in teaching formats has highlighted the need for student involvement and engagement. In addition, there has been increasing interest in gamebased learning approaches

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Sustainability Games | Carmela Aprea and Laura Marie Edinger-Schons

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oday we are facing urgent sustainability issues like climate change, species extinction, or food and water scarcity which threaten no less than our very existence as humanity. Despite some reductions in CO2 emissions, recent statistics reveal that the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic have aggravated many pre-existing sustainability issues defined in the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Even for goals where positive development was observed previously, e.g. child mortality, the worldwide lockdowns have led to a deterioration of the situation due to a lack of access to basic goods and services like clean drinking water, food, or medical services.

For higher education institutions, the topic of sustainability education has consequently gained in relevance, and business schools are no exception. There are academics actively engaged not only in researching solutions to real-world issues around sustainable development, but also designing and piloting new teaching formats to empower and motivate the leaders of tomorrow to be proactive change makers who will create sustainable and resilient economies and societies.

In recent years, innovation in teaching formats has highlighted the need for student involvement and engagement. In addition, there has been increasing interest in game-based learning approaches. At the business school of the University of Mannheim, two academics have recently developed an innovative teaching format which fulfils exactly the above-mentioned learning goals, i.e. fostering students' ability and willingness to be sustainability change makers, and involving elements of games, while actively engaging students to co-create their own content.

Additionally, students also learn how to cope with the 'messiness' of design processes, to work effectively as a team, and to clearly communicate complex issues. This article will outline the format of these “Sustainability Games� with the hope of inspiring colleagues around the world.

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Pictures courtesy University of Mannheim Š Anna Logue

Prof. Carmela Aprea (Chair of Economic and Business Education) and Prof. Laura Marie Edinger-Schons (Chair of Sustainable Business) partnered to develop this interdisciplinary project in spring 2020. The idea of the interactive seminar was for students to work in teams of four or five to develop a game (either a board game or a digital game, depending on skills and preferences) to raise awareness and educate users about a topic related to sustainability as defined in the UN SDGs. For instance, students could develop a game inspired by a well-known existing game but applying the existing mechanism to a topic like the climate crisis, poverty, or financial illiteracy.

The seminar comprised of 'block' workshops.

During the first session, the lecturers provided some introductory guidance on the topics of sustainability as well as game design.

Subsequently, design thinking methods were introduced to outline the game development process. The remainder of the first day was dedicated to ideation. In this phase, students 76

developed ideas for sustainability problems which they feel are especially pressing and intriguing as well as thinking of possible game mechanisms which could be used to educate people about their topic. During the second session, the teams had the opportunity to discuss, present and possibly reframe their ideas and develop first prototypes (e.g., mock-ups of the games). For this purpose, the two professors developed a so-called 'game design canvas' including four boxes: 1) sustainability problem, 2) game description, 3) target group(s), and 4) learning goal(s). The students used the boxes to illustrate the basic elements of their ideas.

On the third day, the prototypes were used for first test games and teams received feedback from the whole group which they could use to refine their ideas. Initially a fourth full day was planned to take place with final presentations and test plays.

However, this last day had to be cancelled due to the COVID-19 lockdown. Instead, after developing their game concepts, students produced short videos about their projects which contained the information outlined in the game design canvas.

Sustainability Games | Carmela Aprea and Laura Marie Edinger-Schons

50%

The basis for grading were the video summaries (of approx. 10 minutes and worth 50%), as well as the written report of the game, its underlying theoretical content, and a rulebook (of 12 pages, also worth 50%)

1.6

Despite the disruption of COVID-19, the overall feedback for the course was 1.8 while the lecturers’ scored 1.6 (on a scale of 1 to 5 where 1 is the best and 5 the worst evaluation)

An example video can be found here: https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEz6LZGP_5I They also wrote a paper describing the game mechanisms in more detail, and also reflecting on their learning experience as a group. The basis for grading were the video summaries (of approx.

10 minutes and worth 50%), as well as the written report of the game, its underlying theoretical content, and a rulebook (of 12 pages, also worth 50%).

The course had multiple learning goals. First, the student teams each focused on one specific topic related to sustainable development, e.g. virtual water, the climate crisis, or food waste. By designing a game on this topic, students gained comprehensive knowledge on their specific topic and sustainable development in general. By searching for information, organising and discussing the material, and preparing the content in the game format, they acquired a deep understanding of the challenges related to the problem and the stakeholders involved in potential solutions. Furthermore, over and above learning about sustainability, students developed an understanding of how games can be used to convey knowledge on important societal topics in an effective and engaging way. Beyond the theoretical knowledge on game design, they learned from the experience of testing and discussing the game, its potential target groups, and its learning goals.

The first pilot of this new teaching format received a very positive evaluation with participants saying, for example, "Creating a game is the best idea one can have for a university course!!' or 'I really liked the fact that the course had both sustainability and educational aspects. I think that there should be more interdisciplinary cooperation between professors and departments. It was also great that the theoretical knowledge learned in the course could be directly put into practice." Despite the disruption of COVID-19, the overall feedback for the course was 1.8 while the lecturers scored 1.6 (on a scale of 1 to 5 where 1 is the best and 5 the worst evaluation).

Looking back at the first edition of the course, the two professors are more than satisfied with the outcomes, although they also see some potential

for improvement for future cohorts. Overall, the performance of the students was astonishing and their willingness to invest time and effort to develop highly creative solutions went far beyond what the two lecturers had anticipated. The new games included, for example, an escape game on the topic of multidimensional poverty, a board game on sustainable tourism, and a tower game, similar to the well-known game 'Jenga', including quizzes about the UN SDGs. All the games developed by the student teams demonstrated their profound awareness and knowledge of the problem, and resulted in very high quality products. Further, the student videos were also a highly valuable resource and again a sign of good engagement and motivation.

Ideas for the future development of the course include using the games not only with students from the course, but partnering with local schools and other educational institutions to test the games with learners from different age cohorts, depending on the target groups of the games. This will enlarge the impact of the “Sustainability Games� course and could have multiple benefits. Firstly, it would be beneficial for the partner institutions because they would receive support in teaching about sustainability; secondly, for the university students it would be insightful because they would then engage in a kind of service learning. Further, following the idea of open educational content and open science, the content produced could be made available for all interested institutions with the option to download the materials like the board games. This would allow actors in education systems all around the world to benefit from the creative work of the students who take the course.

About the Authors Carmela Aprea is Professor of Business and Economics Education at the University of Mannheim. She is specialised in the design and evaluation of instructional systems in this domain, including game-based learning.

Moreover, her research interests incorporate the topics of financial literacy as well as resilience in learning and work contexts Laura Marie Edinger-Schons is Professor of Sustainable Business at the University of Mannheim. In her research she focuses on the question of how organisations can contribute to sustainable development. Specific topics which she is interested in include Employee Engagement in Sustainability, Social Entre/Intrapreneurship, Digital Social Innovation, Corporate Democracy, and New Work

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As the world grapples with the COVID-19 crisis, a debate is arising across the globe regarding university education and, more specifically, management education.

By Samir Dani, Colin Rigby and Emma Bonfiglio

Collaborate locally for enhanced benefits

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Collaborate locally for enhanced benefits | Samir Dani, Colin Rigby and Emma Bonfiglio

T

he higher education sector has worked rapidly throughout the crisis to adopt a digital learning environment to enable continued learning. This emergent approach has had its advantages and disadvantages, however it has also brought into focus the value of education in its own right.

There are several articles within ‘Global Focus’, the ‘Chartered Association of Business Schools’, and BizEd asking questions such as – What is the future of Business Schools?; What is the future of the MBA?; What is the value of Business education? The articles discuss the challenges of leadership, CSR vs. shareholder value, sustainability and the future of the world, and other aspects of the future of the world of work including diversity, inclusion, and equal opportunity. Despite the pandemic forcing this debate into the fore, business and management schools also have an opportunity to take cognizance of the fast-changing world we live in, and the new technological social models that will influence how organisations create business models. As business and management educators, we need to create a learning environment for students that provides academic models and concepts as well as an experiential environment to implement them.

Etzkowitz and Leydesdorff put forth the concept of the Triple Helix model of innovation in the 1990s.

They proposed that interaction between university, industry, and government was essential to foster innovation. Instead of a linear model of innovation based on linear transactions between the entities (university–industry, university–government, government–industry and vice versa), the triple helix model provided a more holistic environment.

The model brought together interactions between these entities towards an objective (in most cases innovation or commercial exploitation of research) and was directed by the focal entity within the transaction. Here we only give is a very brief and superficial summary to capture the essence of the Triple Helix concept, which has been researched extensively since it was first introduced within the

The Keele Research and Innovation Support Programme (KRISP) was designed to engage small- to mediumsized businesses in Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire with the University, develop applied company research that will result in the development of products and processes and in turn increase growth and job creation

area of innovation and knowledge management and subsequently used within public policy.

However, this article picks up the Triple Helix concept to showcase the work we are doing at Keele Business School (Keele University) in the UK to provide both regional economic growth and innovation and at the same time provide enhanced student learning.

The Keele Research and Innovation Support Programme (KRISP) The Keele Research and Innovation Support Programme (KRISP) was designed to engage small- to medium-sized businesses in Stoke-onTrent and Staffordshire with the University, develop applied company research that will result in the development of products and processes and in turn increase growth and job creation. The ambition is for KRISP to help SMEs increase their innovation capacity, introduce a formalised approach to research and development and a commitment to investing in innovation activities. There is also an expectation that the relationship will continue beyond the initial KRISP project to further funded research or in-curricular activity. By providing dedicated human resource and academic expertise, KRISP delivers the knowledge, focus and procedures to help local SMEs bring their innovative products and services to market quicker and support their long-term sustainable growth. This programme is part-funded through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the England 2014 to 2020 European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) Growth Programme.

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The Innovation Teams (Keele Business School) provide academic support and dedicated human resource to the SMEs, and including: • A Business Engagement Manager, to be a dedicated point of contact for the business for the duration of the project and beyond, and broker in other university and external partner resource for the business where necessary; • A Research and Innovation Advisor, to scope and define the project brief, supervise the work of the RD&I Associates, ensuring that the aims and objectives of the collaboration are met on time and within the budget plan, and input research expertise and/or subject knowledge, where necessary; • Research, Development and Innovation (RD&I) Associates, to be a dedicated resource working to a defined brief on the business innovation.

The RD&I Associates undertake the main delivery of the innovation support through a model of student consulting, both individually and as part of teams as the specific SME project demands; • Academic expertise to ensure the project reaches its full potential.

During the first round of funding (2016-2019) KRISP supported 151 companies covering every borough and district in Staffordshire, UK. It assisted with 100 new products, process or services at company level and 56 that were new to the UK market. It created over 40 full-time jobs and recruited 256 RD&I Associates. KRISP and the KRISP team were re-funded (20192021) through the Smart Innovation Hub project (SIH). The SIH is a mixed-use facility that houses the newly named Keele Business School, a mixture of different sized offices, networking and event space as well as being a physical gateway for businesses. Open to the public, the hub was designed to provide a space for students, businesses and academic to collaborate both formally and informally and continue to offer the same opportunities to businesses in Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire.

The Smart Innovation Hub is also a local government funded infrastructure project that fits within the Triple Helix concept.

This programme is a classic Triple Helix innovation model, however what sets it apart from the default triple helix is the involvement of students 80

Collaborate locally for enhanced benefits | Samir Dani, Colin Rigby and Emma Bonfiglio

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During the first round of funding (2016-2019) KRISP supported 151 companies covering every borough and district in Staffordshire, UK

40+

It assisted with 100 new products, process or services at company level and 56 that were new to the UK market.

It created over 40 full-time jobs and recruited 256 RD&I Associates

in running the projects with the help of academic supervisors. Unlike a dissertation element of business education or a live case project (real time of simulated) assessment, this is a formal live commissioned project and provides the student a valuable experience of applying their learning in the real world. The student ‘consultant’ or ‘associate’ is an integral entity within the project and innovation process, and hence there is a level of interaction between the four entities – in this case: local government–industry–university–student. All four entities are providing and receiving in the process of delivering the project. Hence, we could potentially term this concept a Quadruple Helix model of Business School education rather than Triple Helix.

It is important to note that the student plays an important role within this helix both as a learner and a consultant. The Quadruple Helix is, in fact, not a new term. It was put forth by Carayannis and Campbell in 2009, and was used to some extent within the scope of management education by Rebernik in 2009. However, the original Quadruple concept was based on innovation whereas the Rebernik model represented the student as an entity within the model but missed the role of government.

The KRISP Process The overall activity takes around ten weeks (of student activity). It consists of a series of key milestone meetings. Extra meetings with both the student and the client SME are added when needed with regular support via phone or online. The project is scoped initially by the university and the client SME to ensure it can be effectively tackled within the student learning environment. It is important to note that government involvement in this exercise is manifested through the funding provided over the four-year period for university–industry engagement. The student is paid and has the opportunity to gain experience whilst applying their academic learning. They also become part of the student consulting group with training in creative problem-solving and client engagement and are invited to events at the Smart Innovation Hub to further enhance their learning experience.

The focus within each innovation project is to encourage the student to apply academic knowledge in a consulting capacity to a client SME. Initially the scope was limited to engagement from

the business school but since its introduction it has been successful in completing student-led projects across the whole institution.

• The student across this process learns to apply their academic learning in an applied and dynamic setting.

• The student learns to present their research findings and their own critical analysis to different audiences, both verbally and in writing.

• The student learns to receive critical feedback on their work and to also defend their research.

Other outputs which are project dependant include: 1. Business Plan 2. Business Canvas 3. Testing protocols 4. Evaluation protocols 5. Coding work 6. Platform design 7. Business modelling The KRISP project also provides further engagement opportunities both for the Keele Business School academics and for the companies, including knowledge transfer, short courses, collaborative research funding bids, internships, and graduate opportunities for students. The Quadruple Helix opportunity thus helps: 1. Industry – to find resources for innovation and in turn provide support for student learning, to help increase economic growth in the region 2. Government – to provide funding for economic growth as well as providing workbased experience to students 3. Keele Business School academics – to work with industry on a variety of initiatives and to integrate experiential learning within the curriculum 4. Students – to work with industry and support real-life challenges and in turn receive skills to join industry after graduation.

About the Authors Professor Samir Dani is Professor of Operations Management, Deputy Director of Keele Business School, Smart Innovation Hub, Keele University, UK Dr. Colin Rigby is Senior Lecturer in Enterprise, Director of Enterprise, Keele Business School, Smart Innovation Hub Keele University, UK Emma Bonfiglio is Research and Innovation Advisor, Keele Business School, Smart Innovation Hub Keele University, UK

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The QTEM Global Business Analytics Challenge (GBAC) and Why it Matters Online learning has taken on an entirely new dimension during the COVID-19 crisis. The enormity of the situation has forced us to innovate, change and adopt new technologies and ways of working at an exceptionally accelerated rate.

By Anne Vaxelaire

W

ith students spread all over the world, QTEM (Quantitative Techniques for Economics and Management), a global master’s network founded in 2012, actually incorporated remote learning from the outset, and at a more measured pace, when designing its cornerstone project: the Global Business Analytics Challenge (GBAC). The project gave QTEM the opportunity to carefully analyse the advantages and constraints of distance learning and, ultimately, to create and offer an exclusive remote learning experience to students.

Comprising 23 universities, QTEM selects the best students from each partner institution to improve both hard skills, such as data science, and soft skills, such as communication and adaptability, preparing students to use analytics in a business environment. In addition to earning a master’s from their home institution, these outstanding students get international exposure by studying in two foreign countries, on average, and completing a professional, analytics internship. But in addition to the basic programme, QTEM also wanted to ensure students graduate with a standard baseline knowledge of analytic skills, and thus the Global Business Analytics Challenge was born.

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The GBAC consists of two segments taken over the course of the masters. The first is a series of online training sessions with industry and academic experts. Here, students acquire an advanced level of statistical knowledge and data analytical skills applied to business environments, as well as key concepts of online collaboration.

This training prepares students for the second segment: the QTEM Data Challenge (QDC). The QDC is a programme that uses real data, often from QTEM Corporate Partners, and requires students to use analytics to find innovative solutions. For the 2020 Millennium Challenge, one corporate Partner, Millennium bcp, organised a Customer Digitalisation Strategy. For this, students received anonymised data sets and were asked to analyse them and recommend creative strategies and solutions. Amélia Goulão, Marketing Analytics Unit Team Leader at Millennium bcp in Portugal who supervised Millennium’s participation and coached QDC teams said, “This was an amazing opportunity for us to gain meaningful insights into our data from the students and to increase visibility in academia. It is a win-win proposition – and it’s a lot of fun!”

23

Comprising 23 universities, QTEM selects the best students from each partner institution to improve both hard skills, such as data science, and soft skills, such as communication and adaptability, preparing students to use analytics in a business environment

The QTEM Global Business Analytics Challenge (GBAC) and Why it Matters | Anne Vaxelaire

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For other Corporate Partners, participating in the QDC is an excellent recruiting opportunity where they can coach top students while also gaining insights into their company’s data sets. Students, on the other hand, get an introduction to the company and their culture, values and business.

Prof. Bruno Van Pottelsberghe, Secretary General of QTEM, further adds, “The idea behind the GBAC was simple: as our students are global, we wanted to create a shared learning experience and increase the cohort effect – all while giving them meaningful training with real data and the participation of leading companies and organisations. While the idea may be simple, the execution has been an interesting and informative journey – especially these last months; and one that we see being played out in real time.”

Many higher education institutions already had distance learning programmes in place to some extent. But the scope of the field now is tremendous, and it looks like these programmes are here for the foreseeable future. So, what has QTEM learned during this process that can be helpful?

Dr. Lauriane Dewulf, QTEM’s Knowledge and Learning Officer and the supervisor of the GBAC has some ideas. “Not only is the need for graduates with analytics and digital skills essential, but also – more than ever – global online collaboration, presentation and project management skills. In parallel, we believe the best way to learn is ‘learning by doing’ while benefiting from others’ experience.

This is why students must solve real business challenges together with participants from various backgrounds and an alumni coach. Although remote team collaboration can be challenging, we are constantly evolving our online tools and methodologies, so students can best improve and reinforce communication and analytical skills with each other.”

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Student feedback So the programme sounds enriching, but what do the students themselves have to say about it?

GBAC is the unique experience to combine teamwork, international exposure, data skills, great people, and 100% fun!

Gianlorenzo Gai Luiss Guido Carli University

GBAC empowers me to think broader, to strengthen friendship deeper, and to know this world better. 6 months, at least 10 nationalities and incredible fellows. This is the greatest chance to present yourself.

Deyu Liu BI Norwegian Business School

The QTEM Global Business Analytics Challenge (GBAC) and Why it Matters | Anne Vaxelaire

While there are currently many uncertaintiesin the world of higher education – not to mention the world at large – a few things seem definite. Distance learning and international collaboration are here to stay, and adaptability will be a key factor for succes

During the QDC we put our technical knowledge to the test, but we needed our soft skills and trust in our teammates to create a final presentation. QDC is a huge and complex task, but also a way to enrich your technical knowledge. This counts as a valuable experience. Éva Mucs University of Amsterdam

If I had not signed up for the QDC, I would have missed out on the data analytics and soft skills development I experienced during the challenge. Doing it remotely is one of its hallmarks. Over those online meetings, I made some friends and enjoyed the interactions with my coach who provided invaluable guidance throughout the journey.

For me, the QDC meant three things: deep and meaningful work, invaluable new relationships and an insightful first experience in professional international collaboration. QDC helped me become a better team player – and I made a great friend along the way!

While there are currently many uncertainties in the world of higher education – not to mention the world at large – a few things seem definite.

Distance learning and international collaboration are here to stay, and adaptability will be a key factor for success. Thanks to the GBAC, QTEM students will graduate with these skills already in hand, using analytical skills along with practical experience to solve real business problems. For today’s graduates face many uncertainties not only in the world of higher education, but also in the job market. As such, QTEM aims to have its graduates enter the world of work with the maximum preparation to become tomorrow’s leaders – and they’re betting the GBAC helps them do it.

To learn more, visit: www.qtem.org

Jérémi DeBlois-Beaucage HEC Montréal

Kashmeel Biserru

About the Author

BI Norwegian Business School

Anne Vaxelaire is QTEM Communications Manager

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Amber Wigmore Alvarez explores how Business School Career Services are evolving to meet the needs of talent and corporate partners.

Recruiting and Talent Development in a Post COVID-19 World O

n 25 June 2020, the career services world came together to discuss the challenges and opportunities for talent at EFMD institutions in light of the COVID-19 crisis.

Together with Paul Lauriac, Development & Partnerships Director from Toulouse Business School in France and Melissa Handley, Director of Alumni and Career Services from EADA Business School Barcelona in Spain, the Coffee with Careers event involved over a hundred Career Services professionals from across the EFMD network.

The discussions uncovered a range of initiatives that career services teams are using to continue to engage with talent and corporate recruiters despite current global problems.

The Digital Realm Not surprisingly, everything has shifted from physical to virtual career fairs and selection processes, online interviews, digital workshops and remote internships.

When asked whether the move to digital recruiting is irreversible and if schools, students and companies will maintain these practices in the future, only 13% of the Career Services participants believe that the shift is completely irreversible or that digital is here to stay.

A larger group (87%) think a hybrid of digital and on-campus recruiting will be their main strategy in the future. Significantly, not a single EFMD institution foresaw a return to pure face-to-face, on-campus recruiting.

While the future will be more digital, when asked about whether the participating institutions’ career services were already using or in the process of implementing artificial intelligence to respond to talent (e.g. with chat bots or similar), an 86

overwhelming majority (89%) responded no.

There was agreement that AI has some way to go before replacing human beings in career services and recruiting.

Other feedback from the participants included the belief that schools will be reactive to their hiring corporate partners’ needs. This begged the question: why not be more proactive and anticipate the needs of the recruiters and talent?

A good example of a school taking a proactive approach is an African institution which, despite the fact that few companies in their region are using video interviews, is currently working on an asynchronous video series to upskill their students in the “new way of interviewing”. This includes training students for what they need to do in a video interview, being aware of the physical, technological and psychological perspective, and the part that AI can play.

Other schools relayed that they were actively engaging employer partners in their network to analyse what they expect from students in the future, and how their curricula should develop.

For a leading business school in Greece, the approach is based on maintaining personal contact to engage recruiters through regular updates. Since they will not be hosting their on-campus career fair this year, for the past few months they have been sending out emails every couple of weeks reminding recruiters to join the school CV database for their talent needs. This school is also mapping a target list of companies and reaching out to set up virtual meetings to present the career tools to strengthen collaboration.

There was also discussion around how talent is responding in terms of what is both safe and

87%

87% of respondants think a hybrid of digital and on-campus recruiting will be their main strategy in the future. Significantly, not a single EFMD institution foresaw a return to pure face-to-face, on-campus recruiting

Recruiting and Talent Development in a Post COVID-19 World | Amber Wigmore Alvarez

1: Do you think the move to digital recruiting is irreversible and that schools, students and companies will keep these practices in the future?

Yes, it's irreversible and digital is here to stay

(10) 13%

No, we're getting back to f2f on-campus recruiting initiatives

(0) 0%

A hybrid (digital and on-campus) recruiting will be our strategy (65) 87%

Figure 1 Digital Recruiting Strategy

2: Is your Career Centre using or in the process of implementing artificial intelligence to answer the main current questions of your talent (e.g. chat bot or similar)?

Yes

(8)

11%

No

(63)

89%

Figure 2 Adoption of Artificial Intelligence by Career Centres

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3: What has your talent valued most from careers?

5. As a Career Centre, how are you keeping strong relationships with companies during this crisis?

Continued efforts to bring recruitment opportunities

(35)

51%

Flexible availability and one-on-one advising sessions

(28)

41%

Online resources and training modules

(6)

9%

4: Have you moved to a more personalised approach in an online environment because you noticed this approach obtains a better response from students?

Yes, the personal touch has been more effective

(43)

77%

No, no difference has been noticed

(13)

23%

Top / Figure 3 Career Services valued by talent

Top / Figure 5 Corporate Partner relations

Bottom / Figure 4 Personalisation of Career Services online

Bottom / Figure 6 Coping as a Career Services team

practical. One school found that all the 'add-ons' offered at the university take up a large amount of time for adult learners who are already very busy, so having both synchronous and asynchronous content online makes it more accessible and possible to squeeze in between other activities.

It is much easier to multi-task while watching an informative video/webinar rather than needing to show up at university for a session. Many noted much higher engagement with their online events versus face-to-face. This may just be the nature of our times (COVID-19), or it could be that people have had a true mind shift into the fourth and fifth Industrial Revolutions.

Putting aside the digital developments for a moment, there was a general interest in learning about the international job market and availability of opportunities. One peer from South Africa cited immense strain on their economy, including massive retrenchments and pay cuts on the one hand, while start-ups and tech are seemingly showing different employment trends which open up more opportunities on the other.

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6. First word that comes to mind as to how you have coped as a Career Services team?

Reaction of the Talent How is the talent reacting to the new environment? Are Career Services taking the pulse of the reaction of their talent? What extraordinary measures have career services teams taken to make sure talent feel their needs are being met during lockdown and beyond?

A poll of the Career Services participants determined that 51% identify their “continued efforts to bring recruitment opportunities” as the aspect most welcomed by their talent, followed by “flexible availability and one-on-one advising sessions” (41%) and “online resources and training modules” (9%).

Given the flexibility of the digital environment, there was a good deal of discussion around how career services can use online tools to offer more personalised approaches. The majority of participants (77%) responded that this has been effective for them, while 23% have not noticed a difference.

The increasing stress associated with COVID-19 has prompted some career services

Recruiting and Talent Development in a Post COVID-19 World | Amber Wigmore Alvarez

new virtual working world – not a silver bullet solution but more a silver lining to the situation.

51%

A poll of the Career Services participants determined that 51% identify their “continued efforts to bring recruitment opportunities” as the aspect most welcomed by their talent

teams to implement weekly checkpoints to help talent feel less disconnected, as well as maintain contact through regular communication channels such as newsletters, student councils and student representatives.

Maintaining relationships with recruiters In the COVID-19 context, with less recruitment, how are career services teams maintaining engagement with corporate recruiters?

Figure 5 reflects some of the tactics taken by career services teams, ranging from collaborative and empathic approaches to the fostering of mentorship programs, alumni engagement and proactive outreach.

One career services team from a British institution relayed that it has surveyed its recruiters.

While they found the responses to their school’s surveys to be more positive than national surveys, one challenge they face is to persuade academics not to default to alternative assessments/options to placements or rely only on alternative (virtual) work experience and work-related learning opportunities.

A second British institution mentioned the built environment as the worst affected sector for recruitment, and noted that healthcare and pharmaceuticals are still recruiting and increasing in some areas. Professional Services are also still hiring and honouring placements due to lengthy lead-in times for the ROI to be gained from recruitment of talent.

Another participant referred to students as “digital natives” who have a great role as “digital angels” who can support SMEs in adapting to the

The Effect on Career Services During the pandemic, how are Career Services professionals coping? When participants were asked to share the first word that came to mind it was “communication” (Figure 6).

Communication was seen as key. Fostering team dynamics by sharing what they are doing, finding ways to connect, celebrating the small things and finding opportunities to share positive stories were mentioned as useful strategies.

Specific examples of this include partnering with companies to deliver a coffee or piece of cake to employees’ homes for a coffee session – so everyone can eat together despite the physical distance – and having a virtual “hangout” room where employees/teams can go any time of the day to see who is there and just have an informal chat, as well as scheduling specific team catch-ups.

Conclusion Regardless of how long the pandemic lasts, there is agreement that this is the new working environment. Based on the discussions, the career services shared many new experiences and initiatives that are expected to continue well into the future.

While uncertainty currently abounds, what is clear is that the power of the Talent & Careers community is stronger than ever, as is the desire to reflect on how COVID-19 is shaping career services and the world of recruiting.

There is a strong desire for collaboration, while knowledge sharing amongst institutions is a testament to the significance of this new way of working for talent, recruiters and business schools.

Finally, it is acknowledged that changing international mobility, employability and labour market trends, all enhanced by technological advancements, point to a significant need for training and development for career services teams, to meet the needs of both talent and recruiters.

About the Author Dr. Amber Wigmore Alvarez is Chief Innovation Officer (CIO) at Highered EFMD Shared Career Services

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New entrepreneurial technologies can enable safe face-to-face teaching at our universities, says Gunther Friedl

Fighting COVID-19 with technology

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Fighting COVID-19 with technology | Gunther Friedl

The purpose of our pilot project was to test whether we can have face-to-face teaching within a German environment, where the Infection Protection Act imposes severe requirements on higher education institutions

I

50%

While there are over 5,000 students at TUM School of Management, our newly opened campus in Heilbronn currently has around 200 students with more than 50% international students

n March 2020, like all German universities, the Technical University of Munich (TUM) shifted all teaching to online. Germany enforced a lockdown, and all universities were prohibited from face-toface teaching. While online teaching worked surprisingly well, and students commended our activities at the TUM School of Management, nationwide surveys nonetheless showed that pure online teaching does not allow for the level of social interaction that is necessary for an enriching learning journey.

Around the same time, I met with Oliver Trinchera, the CEO of Kinexon. During his doctoral studies at TUM School of Management, Trinchera founded the technology company that enables communication between core elements in the Internet of Things (IoT). Oliver reported about a recently launched product, Kinexon SafeZone.

This product includes a lightweight wearable device based on Ultrawideband technology that allows for contact warning and contact tracing.

One of Kinexon’s first customers was the National Football League (NFL) in the United States. The SafeZone made it possible to measure position and performance data to within centimetres.

Therefore, performance and tactics as well as ball positions were able to be traced in real time. And the Kinexon technology also protects players from a COVID-19 infection.

In our conversation, it quickly became clear that this technology could very usefully be applied at universities as well. Face-to-face teaching under COVID-19 conditions requires exactly those two features that Kinexon SafeZone offers: contact warning and contact tracing. This technology is included in a small wearable device for distancing and tracing, the Kinexon SafeTag.

We decided to launch a pilot project at our new TUM School of Management Campus in Heilbronn.

There were two reasons to pilot the device here: first, the Center of Digital Transformation is researching exactly the precise question of how new technology changes how we work and second, because of the relatively small size of the Campus.

While there are over 5,000 students at TUM School of Management, our newly opened campus in Heilbronn currently has around 200 students with more than 50% international students. Moreover, as soon as they arrive, students at this campus get access to the latest technology such as teaching via virtual reality, so we knew that students would be open to technology-based solutions.

The purpose of our pilot project was to test whether we can have face-to-face teaching within a German environment, where the Infection Protection Act imposes severe requirements on higher education institutions. We wanted to create awareness of how to maintain the required distances of 1.5 metres between people. We also wanted to be able to trace infection chains in order to detect them early and interrupt them.

Finally, and very importantly, we wanted to induce a positive marketing effect for Technical University of Munich as an innovative and university that acts responsibly.

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Above: Gunther Friedl with Oliver Trinchera, the CEO of Kinexon

We structured the project in two phases. Phase 1 included a first test case to assess the contact warning function of the SafeTags and a subsequent analysis of user acceptance. In Phase 2 we will evaluate the functionality of contact tracing and its acceptance with faculty, research assistance and staff members in a second test case.

The objective of Phase 1 was to understand the logistical challenges, user acceptance, and the overall performance of the Kinexon solution.

We decided to start with students in our Masters in Management and Innovation programme with a relatively small class size (25 students). During the four-day test phase, between 11 and 17 participants were present on-site. Students received their Kinexon SafeTags at the entrance of the lecture room and returned it as they left.

We wanted to understand how users perceive the experience, and whether they accept distance measurement and distance warning provided by the technology. We therefore collected field observations in the lecture room, outside the lecture room, and in breakout rooms. We also did focus group interviews on the basis of a set of open questions. Moreover, we did a survey on general user acceptance.

Our first results are very promising. First, and most importantly, SafeTags had a high rate of acceptance by participants. Users generally gave 92

very positive feedback on the devices.

Participants agreed that wearing the SafeTags improves their awareness of keeping distance and that this could potentially change behaviour.

Feedback on enhancing participants’ feeling of safety was also positive. Nearly 80% of the participants found wearing the SafeTag helpful and comfortable. They would recommend wearing the SafeTags to their fellow students.

Second, logistics of issuing and returning the devices worked well, but showed some room for improvement. While everybody received and returned the device safely, it turned out that it would have been better to distribute the devices at the entrance to the building instead of at the lecture hall. This would enable contact warning and tracing within the entire building even on the way to class, and when leaving the building.

In general, participants also gave the feedback that they would have been interested to have a better and more in-depth introduction to the purpose and functionality of Kinexon SafeZone. They are concerned about the contract tracing functionality due to privacy reasons and potential misuse of data. They questioned the benefit of using this additional device instead of using their own mobile phone with an app, such as the German Corona App.

Fighting COVID-19 with technology | Gunther Friedl

One of the key take-aways of this project is that implementing technology solutions requires the careful involvement of all stakeholders.

Communicating the advantages of a project is an important prerequisite for gaining the acceptance of all users. Our students value our innovative approach and simultaneously challenge us by forcing us to justify and rethink every step of our technology solution

They also raised the concern that using the solution only for TUM lectures in the lecture building might reduce acceptance, as participants obey the distancing rules there, but often experience crowded situations outside, for instance when they use public transportation to commute to the campus. It seems useless to comply with the distancing rules in the lecture building if people outside the lecture building do not always follow the rules.

Some other concerns include questions about the benefits of using SafeTags in lecture rooms, when seating arrangements are already in compliance with distancing rules (1.5m).

Participants wanted to switch off their device in such a situation, because sometimes warning lights and a warning noise occurred despite the fact that everybody was complying with distance rules. They agreed, however, on the overall benefits of using it when moving around the building.

Since we had positive feedback on the general acceptance of the SafeTags after phase 1, we will now proceed to evaluate acceptance of using the functionality of contact tracing to support the detection of possible infection chains by implementing test case 2.

In test case 2, one SafeTag will be assigned to each participant by scanning a personal QR code that will be linked to an anonymous identifier in order to be able to evaluate any personal contacts that come closer than the minimum distance of 1.5 m over time using software provided by Kinexon. Regarding compliance of contact tracing with the European and German privacy protection regulations, all participants have to sign a declaration of consent before the start of the testing phase.

The software stores all relevant contact events such as the SafeTag ID, time, duration and distance each day when the SafeTags are put back into the charging tray. The proximity and duration of each contact is recorded and can be quickly accessed to trace and evaluate chains of infection. However, the SafeTag does not record any movement, position or health data of the students and lecturers.

During the test period, participants’ response to the SafeTags in different situations (office/ meeting rooms/stay and movement on floors) will be checked by regularly asking for feedback.

In addition, we will do another survey to check general acceptance of the SafeTags and its contact tracing function, supplemented by a qualitative feedback interview with a focus group.

The objective is to evaluate the acceptance of Kinexon SafeZone in the context of strong privacy protection regulations and to analyse the data collected for effective contact tracing on campus to create a safe campus environment and promote the feeling of safety of the overall campus community.

Once we have finished evaluating Phase 2, we plan to implement Kinexon SafeZone for the whole community on TUM Campus Heilbronn. By doing this, we are confident that we can enable a safe and enriching face-to-face campus experience for our students.

One of the key take-aways of this project is that implementing technology solutions requires the careful involvement of all stakeholders.

Communicating the advantages of a project is an important prerequisite for gaining the acceptance of all users. Our students value our innovative approach and simultaneously challenge us by forcing us to justify and rethink every step of our technology solution. There is still huge uncertainty about the development of the COVID-19 pandemic.

We now feel much better prepared for this uncertain future.

About the Author Gunther Friedl is Dean at TUM School of Management

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Building a sustainable online strategy post COVID-19?

Ginny Gibson, Stephanie Lambert and Anne Swanberg on EFMD's invitation to a workshop in a hybrid format

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he impact of COVID-19 across the globe has been (and continues to be) catastrophic and unprecedented. Whilst we cannot escape the difficulty, sadness and uncertainty that define this pandemic, in many instances we have seen people and organisations undertake a steep learning curve and ‘come together’ en masse in virtual working environments, adapting to restrictions on movement and finding ways to organise services that we usually take for granted in a face-to-face setting.

The Higher Education (HE) sector has certainly also been a victim of major disruption. "UK universities at risk of insolvency as pandemic shreds income" (6 July), "Universities to cut thousands of academics on short contracts" (20 July), and "Universities must offer more than ‘Zoom from your room’" (12 July) to cite just a small sample of headlines from the Financial Times that overshadow the future of HE across the world.

Aside from what we see in the news, as HE faculty and staff our inboxes have been flooded with invitations to online talks, single case study stories delivered in our lunch hours, start-up tech applications and platforms promising to solve all of our current problems, alongside new formats for lengthy conferences to attend from your front room (with assurances of adapted breaks and minimisation of video-call fatigue). Whilst departments and schools can feel better about their carbon footprint and reduced expenses, it is hard for the people on the ground to know where to begin for delivering education which has a real impact. We face an information and opportunity overload, both in moving forward from the crises and in choosing which tools and resources to engage with, improve and develop. The real challenge is how can we make efficient use of the time we actually have?

Learning from EOCCS Institutions Even before COVID-19, the authors were already engaged with the online Business and Management Higher Education community. Over the last six years, we have built up strong relationships with pioneers in digital learning through our work with EOCCS (EFMD GNs Online Course Certification System) and many of us have come from these pioneering institutions. What we have learnt is that schools often find it challenging to harness the opportunities offered by online education in a systematic way. So our initial goal was to create a face-to-face Professional Development seminar to support Deans, Directors and Programme Managers to build a successful strategy for ‘going online’. Then, in March, COVID-19 landed in Europe: our project moved to the backburner as institutions diverted all their energy into reactive moves to preserve what they could of their learning experience for students by moving online. It occurred to us that we had lessons to share for the greater good and that we could really offer the community something of value (for nothing) once the dust had begun to settle at the end of the academic session in June.

Based on our knowledge and work, we collectively know that the ever-present cliché ‘the new normal’ (a phrase bombarding us in headlines and event invites everywhere) is already reality for many institutions who had already developed strong online learning concepts and have received EOCCS certification.

Having been part of the development of EOCCS back in 2016/17, and having chaired and coordinated Expert Review Panels for online education since then, we had seen this work in action countless times before going online became the life blood for all Business Schools around the world.

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Stepping back from the broader situation at hand, it became apparent to us that the hosts of reactive workshops, webinars and presentations would have limited mileage. HE leaders instead needed to future-proof and fail-safe their offerings and adopt a more proactive approach to working online

Stepping back from the broader situation at hand, it became apparent to us that the hosts of reactive workshops, webinars and presentations would have limited mileage. HE leaders instead needed to future-proof and fail-safe their offerings and adopt a more proactive approach to working online. In a similar way to the institutions and people we work with (in the face of COVID-19), our approach was to be resilient and responsive to the needs of our community and build on our knowledge of best practice in online learning.

A Sustainable Strategy What emerged was EFMD GN’s first interactive networking webinar entitled “Next Stage – Developing a Sustainable Online Strategy”. Our goal was to catalyse thinking about the next steps and map out parts of the journey from survival mode to effective online learning. Although the event was founded on the rapid response to a crisis, participants and experienced moderators were able to share their successes and methods for attaining these as well as some of their key challenges.

Those in attendance were able to take a glimpse into approaches beyond their own institution 96

and into the wider sector, across regions and gain insights from both peers and experts.

As life long learners in our profession we always welcome feedback with open arms. We acknowledged the constructive criticism that an hour and a half was not enough time to address, discuss and pick apart the topics that surfaced.

Indeed, the session was designed to be a fleeting predecessor to the fuller programme in October 2020. The webinar provided a metaphorical scaffolding for the full ‘Next Stage’ event which enabled institutions to start laying the foundations and building blocks for developing their own strategy with experts facilitating an analysis of context. This session in October, delivered over one and a half days, offered a deeper dive into the themes explored within the initial webinar. The objectives were to enable deans, directors and programme managers and leaders to gain a better understanding of what they have accomplished so far, establish what they want to achieve in both the medium and longer term, and support them in creating a strategy for building the capability and capacity they need.

Building a sustainable online strategy post COVID-19? | Ginny Gibson, Stephanie Lambert and Anne Swanberg

A new format, a new name, same excellent learning experience Once again, interactivity and networking are a staple part of this event. We endeavour to recreate connections that are made at the registration coffee, so participants can work with peers as they would in a face-to-face environment, and to share knowledge on a greater scale with sessions moderated by experts. With the new name “Rethinking Business Education-Developing your own online strategy” comes a new format, too.There will be one free Introduction session (https://events.efmdglobal.org/events/rethinkingbusiness-education/ familiarising the participant with the tools and frameworks required for the following three live modules, and in between these participants will be working asynchronously together with their own internal support team on projects which be central to their learning process in order to start building an online strategy.

“Developing a Sustainable Online Strategy” guides you through this process. The aim is to create a supportive community who can learn from each other and learn with each other.

A range of tools have been developed that you can use through the process including an institutional questionnaire, a learning journal to capture your thoughts in systematic way and a PowerPoint template that you can use to develop a presentation for use within your institution.

You will need to assemble a support group within your institutions who you can work with between the modules.

During the Online sessions you will have opportunities to share your thoughts, ideas, and problems with fellow participants using action learning principles.

Overall the programme is there to provide shape and impetus so that over the course of the three weeks you can have made real progress in developing your own institutions strategy.

Ultimately the new format starting in January is able to channel expertise from moderators and peers, along with colleagues, into bigger 'answers' and directions as we crystallise learnings from the pandemic response and realign our focus to drive forward a sustainable strategy. The output of this event offers a foundation for you to develop your sustainable online learning strategy.

Find out more about this exciting event: Rethinking Business Education – Developing a Sustainable Online Strategy'’ workshop 12 January – 4 March 2021 https://events.efmdglobal.org/events/ rethinking-business-education-2/ Contact: simonne.macdonald@efmdglobal.org

About the Authors Prof Ginny Gibson is Emerita Professor and Former Deputy Dean & Director of Research at Henley Business School, University of Reading Dr Stephanie Lambert is Undergraduate Tutor at The London School of Economics and Political Science Associate Professor Anne Swanberg is Associate Dean for Digital Courses/ Small Learning Modules, Former Dean Teaching and Learning and Director of EOCCS at BI Norwegian Business School Oslo

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What is 'new' about disruption?

With the Corona crisis hitting higher education institutions, there is a good deal of buzz and discussion about how this will “dramatically and inevitably” change the way universities work and teach. However… this may not be true for everyone, observes Bernhard Bachmann

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What is 'new' about disruption? | Bernhard Bachmann

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et’s look at some of the hype. The supposed “disruption” caused by COVID-19 with a shift to long-distance learning is not exactly new for business schools. Really this discussion has been prevalent for over twenty years, and is totally non-Corona related. Some institutions have offered distance learning programmes for a long time. And then there are the bulk who – with good reason – never did so previously, but during the crisis, shifted to long distance nonetheless. There is a feeling of “obviously, we can if we want to, which is nice and reassuring; we just never had the desire.” And this attitude may not change when things are back to normal – whatever that normal may encompass.

EBS Business School, during the half term of spring semester 2020, successfully switched 100% of its course delivery online. The campus was in lockdown and almost everyone was working from home. During the first weeks, the faculty exchanged their experiences via Zoom every evening and learned from each other. Training sessions were offered for those not familiar with online platforms.

All examinations, of course, also had to be changed to an online mode. So far, so good. EBS Business School enjoyed a speedy, smooth and effective transition, and we surprised ourselves, but deemed this EBSpirit in action. But why should we want to keep doing this forever?

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EBS Business School, during the half term of spring semester 2020, successfully switched 100% of its course delivery online

Reflections on the online hype and the 'new normal' Ever since universities responded to Corona lockdowns by turning to distance learning, a flood of articles and op-eds have been published suggesting that it is 'high time' for universities to get better at digital learning, that we should get rid of handwritten exams (despite research claiming that writing by hand enhances learning), that the end of universities as we know them is near, and that the 'new normal' will be something totally different. There is also the claim that universities could and should now offer much cheaper programs. Newspapers, magazines and

even research journals forgot what they had published 15 years earlier and are now rediscovering online learning as if it was invented just yesterday.

There is currently an abundance of people who use the term 'online learning' who, however, do not differentiate between e-learning, blended-learning, long-distance learning, whether live or recorded, or use the term 'virtual classroom' to mean Zoom. In the year 2002, I was part of a research team at the University of Cologne looking at acceptance of e-learning. Even then, more than 200 PhD theses had already addressed almost every angle of digital and e-learning, learning management systems (LMS) and distance learning that one could think of.

In particular, there was research on how universities could, or were already, deploying such technology.

And these were only the dissertations in Germany.

As so often, there were not research or knowledge gaps, but rather budget restrictions and implementation gaps. In the training industry and corporate learning, long-distance lectures via WebEx or other platforms have been a common standard for over 20 years. In the mid-90s, large corporations were using satellite distributed business television for long-distance training needs.

The so-called “virtual classroom” is now 25 years old and was also broadcast via satellite and later became web-based. Even the flight simulator is nearing its one-hundredth anniversary, while the use of gaming or experiential learning is similarly decades old. Computerised simulations have been a part of different curricula for many decades. In a way it is nice to see this new excitement about digital learning, but the most important do’s and don’ts and good practices as well as research about the reasons for the lack of acceptance of digital education have been available for decades.

Even with Corona there is no need to reinvent the wheel – despite all the buzz. Most universities had an issue of budget, not a lack of understanding, and this difference may constitute the most notable change.

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What I am trying to say here, is that while there is a lot of talk about the 'new normal', for many experts in the fields of digital learning and for all those managers who have been working from home for 25 years, the Corona crisis has not changed anything aside from the sudden need to deploy the technology across the entire organisation. Taking a step back, we can see that the current arguments are old news, but the levels of acceptance and learning success statistics have not exactly improved. Social media is full of excited managers writing about the pros and cons of working from home and the impact on teams and leadership issues. These people have now discovered the need for virtual leadership. Well, training on that topic has existed since at least 2003, already then with an added component in leading intercultural teams as well. Many of the topics raised by journalists, politicians and university managers rather show they have been out of sync with corporate learning for a very long time. After all, the first large German congress and trade fair on computer-aided learning – the 'Learntec' – already took place in 1992. And from 1995 onwards, the internet was a fixed component of the learning world at such conferences all over the globe.

All those predications – are they new?

There has never been a knowledge gap in digital learning. The very fact that so many institutions of higher education were able to switch to long distance streaming over just a few weeks shows that this is not exactly rocket science. Yet a constant flow of Corona-inspired magazine articles seems to suggest that classroom lecturing is more than just out-dated but even rightfully considered dead, and we 'cannot go back'. We desperately 'need new digital learning formats', and should ideally replace presence-based forms of learning.

We need to be engaged in 'hybrid' learning.

Many authors posit that we need to 'expand' and 'perpetuate' the many 'positive experiences' we are now encountering. We must record lectures and become independent of time and space and so on and so on. Yet are we really having such positive experiences? Do lecturers and student learners embrace hybrid teaching as something desirable for the future? Does Zoom beat all other lecture 100

formats? Will decision making at the level of university management still be quicker once the crisis is over, because the councils are currently using Zoom? All of this is highly debatable. What is branded now as 'new work' is 'every day life' for others, and has been so for decades.

Few people seem to realise that many of us have heard all this before, and the promises of digital learning have been put to the test many times. There is a reason why 80% of e-learning programmes have quite low rates of satisfaction amongst users. And also why traditional e-learning in the workplace does not work, especially with mandatory courses. It is not the case that lecturing via Zoom or Adobe Connect has suddenly been widely accepted or that satisfaction rates are now considerably higher than they were before Corona. Now that entire faculties have proven they can do it, this does not automatically mean they are turning to digital learning just because they can. And on the grounds of what business model would such an endeavour be based? On the contrary, students and lecturers alike now experience the many downsides to this kind of lecturing. And yet there is an explosion of executive education online courses as business schools are closed for presence-based offerings.

Networking and belonging are much less powerful in these formats, and potential delegates know this. And our degree students also give us constant feedback that they are missing the “classic” approach.

A joke is circulating in our university that in the future, we will have to brand ourselves as an old-fashioned, heritage kind of business school because we are still offering lectures in the classroom.

Interestingly, no one ever challenged the implication of this joke. Corona showed in a very transparent way why we so have been so hesitant to deploy digital learning. In the case of EBS Business School, the thing called EBSpirit is valued highly. Faculty and students alike form close bonds. Unusually for Germany, EBS has a huge alumni network which is having its fiftieth anniversary this year. Our international students come to study at EBS in order to gain exposure to the German and European job markets and together with our German students, they tap

What is 'new' about disruption? | Bernhard Bachmann

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Our international students come to study at EBS in order to gain exposure to the German and European job markets and together with our German students, they tap into our network of 200+ international partner universities.

into our network of 200+ international partner universities. We are not just a building on a campus or a cluster of servers; this is a people thing.

Online learning is just the same?

When video tape hit the market, journalists wrote that music and arts teachers now would be obsolete. Yet if online learning is so great, why are most of our students – who could potentially complete their exchange semester or dual degree in another country – instead postponing now?

There will always be students who prefer the real intercultural experience and physical presence, wanting to dive deeply into another culture and requiring access and exposure to the local industry and internship or job market as a fundamental prerequisite. It has always been designed to be this way. Business schools are offering so much more than a degree here.

There is one notable positive difference: before Corona, it was easy to criticise schools like ours for

not seeming to be overly engaged in digital learning.

Not that any of our students ever did criticise this; they chose us for the above-mentioned qualities. However, we now can say, yes, we have demonstrated that we could do things differently, if we wanted to. We are using the technology for those who wish to be here and cannot come. It is a tool, not a philosophy. Interestingly, we now get quite a few applications from students who ask us if we will keep on lecturing online in parallel. These students have a long-distance profile. If we were targeting these students, we could have offered such formats for a long time, or increased our long-distance formats. But this is not really what we do, and Corona has made this quite clear. In doing so, we would potentially sacrifice the more powerful parts of our programmes. We feel that business schools need to decide on their profile, and the sharper the profile is, the lesser the need to put everything into the test lab when facing Corona.

With career services, our unique individual coaching offerings and EBSpirit, there is a strong belief that there are many things that a business school just cannot deliver online. Most of our executive education course delegates jumped at the very first chance to come back to campus, clearly preferring even uncomfortable distancing and hygiene rules over staying online. The advocates of the new normal are currently also promoting virtual internships now – yet checking in with our students, we found that they are by no means interested, thank you very much.

Currently, the entire faculty is engaged in 'hybrid' teaching; using the new interactive terminals, microphones, web and video conferencing cameras which all lecture rooms had been equipped with.

Digital pens allow them to use an online whiteboard.

Lecturing takes place in the classroom while being streamed in parallel via Zoom. Loudspeakers in the classroom transmit what the online participants have to say. All lecturers have wireless headsets so they can move around to a certain extent.

Schedules have been adjusted to cater for time zones of those international students who did not get a visa. We all became experts at displaying the chat window while showing slides, and making sure we check what learners are writing there.

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online, often somewhat compromising one of the two groups. Yes, this enhances flexibility, but it does not top the dynamics and discussions we can have in the lecture theatres in presence-based mode.

Many students develop a quite passive online mode and practice their language skills far less.

Many students tend to switch off their camera altogether, while many do not engage in discussion or even use the chat window. It is much easier to hide, or even to leave a lesson this way. Sometimes students do not react when lecturers form break-out groups online. These students seem to be participating, but are not present when needed.

We try to close the session to such students, however, with more than 40 students in a group, it can be difficult to check on individual students.

Another factor that many promoters of the online hype also ignore: producing high quality long-distance learning is actually more complex and expensive compared with classical delivery in the lecture theatre. Done well, online materials take more staff and resources and actually come at a higher cost. All those who claim that universities just need to go online and will hence be cheaper, obviously have some sort of pre-fabricated and re-used content in mind. Even if this were not the path to making 50% of all universities redundant, it also ignores the demands of students who want up-to-date, high quality content inside the classroom, and who also have needs outside of the classroom.

Conclusion So, what will change then? The second half of our spring term was fully online, the fall term in hybrid mode, and we are facing the next spring term in January again in hybrid mode. We have a rolling scheme; all departments and work groups are split, working one week from home, and one week on campus. All team meetings happen online.

Obviously, as in many other institutions, post-Covid there will be a push towards staff working more from home. Student-facing staff may not find this very useful. For us, the personal professor-student learner relationship was and is central, and this includes all student services and programme management.

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Another factor that many promoters of the online hype also ignore: producing high quality long-distance learning is actually more complex and expensive compared with classical delivery in the lecture theatre. Done well, online materials take more staff and resources and actually come at a higher cost

The new online teaching capabilities may result in more possibilities for digital learning. For years now there has been the idea to digitise some formats of the smaller programmes, and certain difficult courses, so learners could repeat them.

While we developed some digital content, the need was simply not strong enough for us to make a stronger commitment here. Luckily, we now have the technology and the staff who are trained to use it. But this is by no means an automatic or natural consequence. On the contrary. Some professors who were already against this form of lecturing and who have now experienced how long-distance lecturing changes their lectures, are doubly sure this is not what they or the students want to embrace as a standard.

The existing digital learning strategy at EBS Business School may well change in future. We may continue to enhance the flexibility to use our new technology, and guest lecturers, for example, no longer need to travel to the campus – although interestingly, many still prefer to do so. Still, inviting practitioners into class has now become far easier. We also found that external lecturers who normally could only stay for block lectures, now can deliver regular online lectures. In some cases, this is a compromise which has more positives than negatives. However, while staffing becomes easier, we still prefer direct contact, because our students prefer it. Most lecturers want to deploy our newly fitted technology on special occasions, not as a standard. With all lecture rooms now equipped, EBS can go into another lockdown within seconds, if need be. The experiences of all faculty members due to Corona, namely being forced to lecture online, will inform our strategy

to make more use of digital formats. Yet the faculty has also learned where our strengths reside. And this clearly is the personal studentprofessor relationship, the bonds between the students on site and their collective learning in class, as well as the personal exposure of our network to companies and the alumni organisation.

Our field studies, for example, normally happen on the client site, and student teams struggle to solve business problems on-site. The online versions of these projects are just not the same, and are much less powerful for networking.

Corona took all this away, and EBS University has always been a place of people doing things together. The EBS Real Estate Congress, the EBS Symposium and the EBSpreneurship Symposium, all run by students and lecturers, are the proof of this. EBS students for example get a huge six-digit budget and organise their own famous annual EBS Symposium. It is the biggest student-run event in Europe. This year the event happened digitally and online, but many perceived it as not being the same, and having limited networking potential. So, the pretension to become a better provider of digital learning is not the logical outcome for a new normal. Yet there is potential in that the existing plans for part-time and long-distance programme delivery are easier to realise and implement because each and every lecturer now has experience of working online and lecturing long-distance. As with many organisations, Corona gave the enabling push. While this is a change we no longer have to achieve, as described before, it does not automatically follow that the faculty is pushing these plans. Many international masters students who could follow our courses online, have postponed their studies because they want to be here, on site, with us. Despite the digital learning hype, student learners and the faculty are clearly aspiring, if not craving, for things to return to normal. And at EBS, 'normal' to a very large degree means personal, not digital.

About the Author Dr. Bernhard Bachmann M.A. MBA LL.M. is the director of masters programmes at EBS University Business School

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How new tools can help develop sustainable literacy. By Aurelien Decamps, Estela Castelli Florino Pilz, Jean-Christophe Carteron and Marcela Folloni

Sulitest – Fostering sustainability literacy for all I

n 2012, at the Rio+20 conference, higher education institutions (HEIs) officially recognised their crucial role in contributing to sustainable development. They committed to using their influence and participation in society to encourage better citizenship and train future decision makers. However, at this time there were no assessment tools available to help guide this path, especially to answer some key questions: How can HEIs evaluate the awareness of their students and adapt their pedagogical approach accordingly? And, how can HEIs monitor learning outcomes on global systemic topics like the SDGs? Sulitest, a French non-profit organisation that has become a global community, strives to answer to these questions and meet these needs.

Sulitest's vision is to develop Sustainability Literacy worldwide, while also empowering engaged and committed global citizens to make informed and responsible decisions to collectively build a sustainable future.

Sustainable development requires not only literacy but also awareness, engagement, and co-creation of knowledge. To meet this need, Sulitest has developed an ecosystem of tools.

Tools that Sulitest currently offers, free of charge, include the SuliTest Learning mode, an assessment tool; the SuliQuiz, an interactive game; and Looping, a reverse pedagogy tool. Moreover, 104

with Premium membership, users can also access the Explorer, a discovery tool. The main feature of Premium access is that organisations and schools have the ability to customise the test and tailor the Sulitest experience to the objectives and specific needs to their own institution! Customised modules can be used in addition to the Core module of the Sulitest, so schools can map the general understanding of sustainability, plus assess specific questions needed for your research, assessment or data gathering.

Rather than being 'the' solution to all the challenges, Sulitest strives to be one of the key enablers of Education for Sustainable Development.

Sulitest is unique in working to create internationally relevant tools that enhance and map sustainability literacy worldwide. The tools are designed to allow flexibility of use to suit different organisational needs. Users can choose from different tools, modules, session durations, setting individual or group sessions, and more. It is also possible to create customised modules, allowing faculty or staff to have ownership of their tools and tailor questions to a specific subject taught in a course (i.e. marketing or finance), a specific topic important for an organisation (i.e. CSR strategy), a certain group in a company (i.e. procurement department) or even carry out a survey about their community engagement.

Sulitest – Fostering sustainability literacy for all | Aurelien Decamps, Estela Castelli Florino Pilz, Jean-Christophe Carteron and Marcela Folloni

Sulitest's vision is to develop Sustainability Literacy worldwide, while also empowering engaged and committed global citizens to make informed and responsible decisions to collectively build a sustainable future. Sustainable development requires not only literacy but also awareness, engagement, and co-creation of knowledge

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Introducing sustainability easily and seamlessly Sulitest’s best-known tool, the Test, is a ready-made individual assessment package that includes a core module of 30 international questions, and optionally, specialised modules focusing on a specific country, SDG, or topic of choice through customisation. The Test can be easily integrated into the curriculum and several institutions already use it to initiate discussions around sustainable development or as a part of their integration activities.

Individuals and examiners immediately see their results upon completing the test. The results are automatically benchmarked against the global session results, national and international averages; and broken down according to SDGs and knowledge areas. The Test enables many institutions to map and assess their students’ understanding, see their results relative to other institutions, and inform strategy, in just a few clicks. Sulitest’s team, experts and advisory board have developed this insightful tool so institutions can easily implement it and support the vision of bringing sustainability literacy for all!

For Cesar Nanni, Sustainability Coordinator at the University of Monterrey (UDEM, Mexico), asking all new students to take the test gives teaching staff a good overview of the topics which they must work on. Anders Sandoff from the University of Gothenburg explains how, “Having used Sulitest for some years in my masterclass, I see the value of having a tool that engages students from all over the world in a common understanding of important sustainability challenges. As a tutor I also appreciate the discussions one can have on regional and even national differences.”

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Reimagining pedagogy The complexity of the challenges identified in the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is a perfect example of why we need to rethink pedagogy. The traditional 'top-down' pedagogy gives students a passive role in education, limiting growth and development. Instead, we need learners to become actors of their pedagogical experience, change agents capable of answering to the pressing challenges of sustainable development.

Reverse pedagogy is one way of doing this: creating meaningful and relevant questions, while learning from rigorous sources and composing learning statements, can be an impactful pedagogical experience for students.

Looping by Sulitest is an interface that conducts reverse pedagogy for SDGs by facilitating the co-creation of questions. This interface fosters active learning and promotes peer-learning and peer-evaluation that requires collective intelligence and critical thinking.

In practice, the Looping platform facilitates workshops in active learning. Participants are divided into teams and create questions for a list of subjects selected by the facilitator. These are then peer-reviewed by other teams of the session against selected criteria, edited and submitted for evaluation. The facilitator then reviews the final submissions and approves the questions, which could then be used to create customised module for a SuliTest session.

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Sulitest’s best-known tool, the Test, is a ready-made individual assessment package that includes a core module of 30 international questions, and optionally, specialised modules focusing on a specific country, SDG, or topic of choice

Sulitest – Fostering sustainability literacy for all | Aurelien Decamps, Estela Castelli Florino Pilz, Jean-Christophe Carteron and Marcela Folloni

When your CSR strategy is already in place, it is important to communicate your approach and bring students on board with it.

Their collaboration is key for creating a more sustainable campus, and that collaborative action starts with awareness

Understanding student expectations and generating awareness Students are at the centre of education and should be at the core of any academic CSR strategy. The new generation of undergraduates is keenly aware of the climate crisis we are facing and students are increasingly demanding that their institutions take a strong stand.

Hence, understanding their expectations is crucial to inform the university’s strategy and operational priorities.

Through a customised module, Kedge Business School (France) deploys a questionnaire via the Sulitest that helps university management set priorities, respond to the incoming student body’s expectations and improve the student experience.

When new students arrive on campus, “they are asked to take the international module as well as a module on the CSR strategy of the school. Sample questions include: ‘To what extent did Kedge Business School’s CSR and sustainability policy influence your decision to enrol here?’; ‘Well-being, equal opportunities, responsible management...

What is your opinion about the sustainability themes your school is engaged with?’. These questions help the CSR department and faculty members better understand the sustainability awareness and affinity for specific actions of their incoming students,” said Jean-Christophe Carteron, CSR Director at Kedge and Sulitest co-founder!

When your CSR strategy is already in place, it is important to communicate your approach and bring students on board with it. Their collaboration is key for creating a more sustainable campus, and that collaborative action starts with awareness.

“The customised module ‘GEM School for Business for Society’ helps raise awareness among faculty and students about GEM’s CSR strategy, organisational culture and activities while simultaneously learning more about their individual areas of interest and commitment to sustainability,” explains Jaclyn Rosebrook-Collignon, Head of Sustainability & Global Responsibility at Grenoble Ecole de Management (France).

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Making business better Sulitest is also helping inform the future generation of business leaders as it is widely used in business schools. The international core module gives a general understanding of our global challenges, which also provides opportunities for entrepreneurship, innovation and economic development. “Being a valuable teaching tool, we took the opportunity of the Sulitest to add ten more practical businessoriented questions that are directly linked to the preoccupations of managers on various CSR-related topics such as sustainable development goals, triple bottom line, inclusive business, social business, CEO activism, and many more,” said Rodolphe Durand, Founder and Academic Director Society and Organisations (S&O) Centre at HEC (France).

Beyond the academic setting, Sulitest also empowers companies and other institutions to build sustainability literacy with their staff.

“Specifically, the fact that we were able to customise an entire set of questions to match our operational needs, on top of the core questions, allowed us to use the test to our best advantage and train our staff according to our strategic CSR vision.” said Nicholas Vantreese, Head of CSR at La Banque Postale.

“Sulitest make our staff aware of the major international challenges and (help them) to better understand the Group’s CSR policy” added Laurence Acerbo, Group Responsible Development Director at ONET

Sulitest is also helping inform the future generation of business leaders as it is widely used in business schools. The international core module gives a general understanding of our global challenges, which also provides opportunities for entrepreneurship, innovation and economic development

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Sulitest – Fostering sustainability literacy for all | Aurelien Decamps, Estela Castelli Florino Pilz, Jean-Christophe Carteron and Marcela Folloni

Supporting global discussions (SDG 14 module) Sulitest also collaborates with key stakeholders to inform discussions about hot topics. As an example, Sulitest is currently developing a module of questions about SDG 14 focused on oceans, a project jointly led by Mercator Ocean International and UNDESA. “There is an unprecedented need for skilled and knowledgeable people to address, mitigate and solve ocean issues on a global scale.

Our commitment to Sulitest SDG14 is not only a way to make aware and mobilise the youth.

We also intend with Sulitest and UNDESA teams to inspire young citizens and future decision-makers to work towards a sustainable ocean, something that can also offer them so many opportunities in return, provided it is properly protected and conserved. We have built an Expert Group made of International ocean scientists, practitioners, experts, policy- and decision-makers, to conceive the SDG 14 MCQ Module,” says Cécile Thomas-Courcoux, International Development & Cooperation Director at Mercator.

Besides the objective of increasing interest and awareness around ocean-related issues, this module offers a unique opportunity to collect data on ocean awareness among leaders, managers and, more broadly, among citizens. Analysing and discussing the initial data before the upcoming UN Ocean Conference could enlighten us as to links and gaps between concepts, challenges and the understanding around ocean-related issues.

Looking to the future As an enabler, Sulitest's focus and strength are in its community: the universities and companies that use and contribute to Sulitest, the conversations it generates, the people that advocate for Sulitest’s mission, and the platforms and initiatives Sulitest partners with. This ecosystem allows Sulitest to reach the students, the staff and the citizens who will be empowered with the knowledge, skills, and mindset to construct a world we can be proud of.

Sulitest hopes to develop more partnerships, enable education for sustainable development by building and improving the toolset it offers.

More modules of questions are in development, and robustness and rigour are being further improved in order to develop a Certificate.

Sulitest welcomes all institutions, from academic to corporate, to sign up and join the movement that is bringing sustainability literacy for all!

About the Authors Aurelien Decamps, Co-Founder, Estela Castelli Florino Pilz, Community Manager, Jean-Christophe Carteron, Co-Founder & Marcela Folloni, Project Manager, all at Sulitest

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Ahmed Abdel-Meguid, Ulrich Hommel and Benjamin StĂŠvenin reason that, like successful sports teams, faculty should be based on synergic skills

What business schools can learn from team sports

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What business schools can learn from team sports | Ahmed Abdel-Meguid, Ulrich Hommel and Benjamin Stévenin

Using analogies from team sports, we argue that a business school should build its team of players (i.e. faculty) based on synergic skills which support well-defined strategic objectives

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usiness schools have accepted the challenge of striving for more business relevance and societal impact. In the process, many of them are also rethinking the traditional faculty model that often sees junior research talent eventually mature into other roles, for instance as their research productivity is fading. One alternative that is often talked about is the portfolio approach whereby a business school recruits a diversity of talent who have not all jumped through the same hoops to qualify for a faculty post (a reality that may suggest that even the term 'faculty' is no longer a fitting label to describe academic work).

In this article, we want to suggest an even more radical departure from the status quo that also leaves behind the somewhat static portfolio concept. Using analogies from team sports, we argue that a business school should build its team of players (i.e. faculty) based on synergic skills which support well-defined strategic objectives.

In today’s ever-changing management education ecosystem, agility coupled with a heightened sense of teamwork are essential. Like successful sports teams, winning schools have the right ‘mix’ of faculty skills, and they know how and when to deploy which players, ensure faculty buy-in, and maintain collective positive team spirit.

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Leading business schools is like playing football – the modern way We will start our argument with a sports analogy. Team sports bring together athletes with specialist skills (and potentially distinctive physical attributes). The European version of football (simply ‘football’ thereafter) has evolved tremendously over the past 150 years. The current faculty model of research-focused business schools has the touch-and-feel of the 1-1-8 system that was popular in the nineteenth century. Along with the goalkeeper, it involved one defensive player, one midfielder and eight others chasing the ball. No surprise, then, that this tactical system did not make it beyond the century mark.

The subsequent evolution of the game saw the emergence of more elaborate positional systems, the emergence of players with versatile roles (sweepers, centre-backs, centre-forwards) and a shift of focus away from covering opponent players in defense to instead controlling physical space (and the ball) on the pitch.

Fast-forward to the present. Positional play has become much more fluid with the entire team expected to play offense as well as defense, with the movements of each player causally linked to how other team members are positioned on the pitch. Meanwhile scoring is more determined by the team’s ability to switch between defensive and offensive modes and press opponents into their half of the pitch.

In our view, business schools need to approach the management of faculty as a strategic resource in the same way modern football is played. To paraphrase one of the doyens of the management education community, Peter Lorange, business schools need to integrate faculty into 'The Team, The Team, The Team' rather than accepting the status quo (often simply 'The I') or the portfolio approach (all too often 'The I, The I, The I'). This team approach will enable business schools to respond to disruptions in the sector with greater agility and ultimately move ahead in terms of reputation enhancement and financial performance.

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What business schools can learn from team sports | Ahmed Abdel-Meguid, Ulrich Hommel and Benjamin Stévenin

The centuries-old model that underpins academia is currently being uprooted at its very core. Technologies are reshaping how state-of-the-art education is provided and how performance is measured as well as communicated

Designing the championship team: What are the strategic dials?

The centuries-old model that underpins academia is currently being uprooted at its very core. Technologies are reshaping how state-of-theart education is provided and how performance is measured as well as communicated. Stakeholders nowadays are asking more forcefully than ever what the ultimate 'purpose' and 'impact' of 'academia' is. And all this in an environment where non-academic players are coming to the fore and technology-induced unbundling of educational provision is increasingly blurring the boundaries to the commercial sphere.

Business schools represent academia’s frontline for meeting these challenges. And we believe schools should meet them head-on rather than succumbing to the Fear of Missing Out (or FOMO). FOMO will tempt schools to replicate every successful initiative or model they become aware of (described by Wilson/McKiernan as "Global Mimicry", in the British Journal of Management, 2011). It encourages schools to strive for the highest status levels in the traditional domains of research and teaching, while also chasing goals that are becoming mainstream such as positive societal impact, sustainability, responsible management, and others. However, we live in a world of finite resources. Thus, it is important to foster institutional self-awareness through inclusive conversations with various stakeholders regarding strengths and weaknesses in order to develop realistic ambitions. Accordingly, the following four recommendations can help schools chart an alternative pathway:

Aim for 'strategic focus', not to be a 'Jack of all Trades' ‘Focus’ requires ‘choice’, and the ability to say ‘no‘ is one of the most important leadership traits. Business schools are a well of ideas and every institution has its future embedded in it - somewhere.

Develop organisational ambidexterity as a core cultural value By combining operational effectiveness today with thinking systematically about the future, business schools can acquire sensors to identify the inflection points where sector trends shift to become drivers of performance (see also Rita McGrath, Seeing around Corners, 2019).

Link strategic pathways to resource needs (ambidexterity again) Culture is shaped by people. Faculty need to have a positive disposition towards change; they need to embrace it as an opportunity to help the school excel when dealing with developmental challenges. Two aspects are key: Faculty’s association with the school should be a source of pride and faculty roles are not primarily perceived as a source of individual privilege.

Be persistent!

The football history books are full of examples of clubs declining because high management turnover was linked to frequent switching of tactical systems which then triggered costly team restructuring. The system needs to fit the club and the (entire) personnel needs to fit the system.

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Moneyball: Picking the players When the German business daily Handelsblatt started publishing a national ranking of business and economics professors based on research performance alone, it immediately prompted friendly banter among deans as to who had more Top 10/20/50 faculty under contract.

The more serious consequences were that hiring outcomes became positively linked to the Handelsblatt ranking and candidate vetting placed greater weight on an 'objective' criterion, namely an applicant’s Handelsblatt ranking.

The example of Moneyball (a book by Michael Lewis and also a blockbuster starring Brad Pitt), however, teaches us that while hiring 'star faculty' may generate public attention (like a star player helps fill stadiums and sell merchandise), it often does not bring in the championships. Just like the Oakland Athletics baseball team in Moneyball, one can win with smaller budgets and by using overlooked (and therefore undervalued) players.

Our recommendation is therefore: Identify the performance metrics that really matter and act on them Academic appointment and promotion processes are often designed with a focus on external accountability of decision-making which favour traditional metrics (e.g., research quality, student teaching evaluations, research fundraising). Business schools could instead focus more on professional attitude, creativity, ability to lead others, or empathy. Psychometric testing of candidates can potentially help recruiters better understand “what type of person are we hiring?”

Keep in mind, the Moneyball approach enabled the Boston Red Sox to end their title drought after 86 years and helped the Chicago Cubs to end their wait of 108 years. And it enabled Liverpool F.C.’s long-awaited return to European fame and glory.

Making faculty players stay and excel The future strategic viability and operational continuity of business schools will depend heavily on the faculty’s ability to switch gear whenever needed and to lead academic value chains within continuously evolving performance parameters.

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The example of Moneyball, however, teaches us that while hiring 'star faculty' may generate public attention (like a star player helps fill stadiums and sell merchandise), it often does not bring in the championships. Just likethe Oakland Athletics baseball team in Moneyball, one can win with smaller budgets and by using overlooked (and therefore undervalued) players

What business schools can learn from team sports | Ahmed Abdel-Meguid, Ulrich Hommel and Benjamin Stévenin

Business schools have increased in complexity, and thus require a larger number of administrative leaders with enhanced leadership skills and continuous training. A faculty’s proficiency in teaching and research is not necessarily indicative of leadership potential. The recent COVID-19 pandemic is a stark example of the criticality of instilling a culture of adaptability, continuous improvement, and preparedness. Leaders of schools should set the tone for this attitude and support it through funds and opportunities for faculty development. Progress in terms of skills development should also be acknowledged and showcased.

When it comes to faculty performance and engagement, the elephant in the room is typically the tenure system. Many institutions use tenure for the good cause of protecting 'academic freedom', however in many instances it comes with various downsides. Possible unintended side effects include faculty complacency, reduced willingness for self-development, and fixation on traditional methods. The inability to counterbalance the side effects of this setup could make it more challenging for business schools to match their degree and speed of adaptability with external factors. Schools could better capitalise on a skillful, agile, and motivated faculty team through: Maintaining a strategic reserve of well-trained academic leaders With the exceptions of very few positions, most academic leaders are appointed from incumbent faculty. Schools should ensure that they continuously cultivate and replenish a pool of potential academic leaders to ensure effective and smooth administrative succession.

Investing in faculty depth on the 'bench' Just like in football, business schools must deal with occasional placer substitutions to accommodate sabbaticals, temporary leaves, and (in)voluntary departures. A strong and technically inclusive substitution bench is one of the key drivers of tactical agility for business schools and ensures that the absence of one or more key players will not drastically affect the performance of the faculty team.

Emphasising and reiterating what tenure is NOT Job security is an undeniable facet of tenure.

Reduced engagement might be the empty half of the glass but risk tolerance and willingness to try new things could be the pay-off. Schools should enforce the notion that tenured faculty do not have to ‘play it safe’ and that rather they have the exciting privilege to adopt new methods and test the ground beyond their own comfort zone. However, a general culture of faculty buy-in, a feeling of institutional appreciation, and a sense of purpose is needed for this approach to work.

Closing the loop: Turning your stakeholders into believers Just like coaching a professional football team, being a business school leader can be a hazardous occupation. Charting a course different from other schools can easily become the endpoint of a dean’s career. The ultimate test of good business school leadership is the ability to align differing stakeholder agendas (of alumni, students, corporate partners, university parents...) around a common vision for how the school can successfully compete for silverware. A closing quote should serve as guidance: “The very essence of leadership is that you have to have a vision. It's got to be a vision you articulate clearly and forcefully on every occasion. You can't blow an uncertain trumpet.”

Theodore Hesburgh President of the University of Notre Dame 1952-1987

About the Authors Ahmed Abdel Meguid is an Associate Professor of Accounting and the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies and Administration at The American University in Cairo School of Business Ulrich Hommel is Chaired Professor of Corporate and Higher Education Finance at EBS University of Business & Law, Founding Partner and Managing Director of XOLAS, as well as Senior Advisor of EFMD Global Network Benjamin Stévenin is CEO of RimaOne and Co-creator of ACADEM, one of the leading Faculty management in the market. He is also a Founding Partner of XOLAS

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Sotiris Karagiannis, Saša Žiković and Ivana Marinković discuss the demands and design of MBAs

The Future of MBAs

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The Future of MBAs | Sotiris Karagiannis, Saša Žiković and Ivana Marinković

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or almost two decades MBA programmes have offered up-to-date education on burning business topics while giving students access to prestigious networks with job opportunities. But as COVID-19 emerged, leading inevitably to paradigm shifts in numerous dimensions, businesses were forced not only to promptly redesign their strategies and reposition their markets, but also to partially or fully 'relocate' to the online sphere. The 'turn' to the online mode was phenomenally abrupt and even though it was widely expected that the situation would progressively align with the demands of Industry 4.0, substantial adjustment was needed. MBA programmes have consequently suffered the unprecedented state of reality and were forced to adapt to the new delivery. However, an even bigger challenge has arisen. Is there really a demand for what the traditional MBA offers to students and industries today? Are MBA programmes at a transition point where they should undergo a holistic revamping or should they keep up with the status quo and keep going as before?

Sotiris Karagiannis, Graduate Business Programs Director at the University of New York in Prague and Saša Žiković, Vice Dean for Science and International Strategic Partnerships at the Faculty of Economics and Business University of Rijeka in Croatia together with EFMD Global Network conducted a comprehensive online session on the forthcoming tomorrow of MBA programmes. “The future of MBAs: Face lift or a total reconstruction” gathered 80 participants from all over the globe and highlighted the most important dilemmas of the MBAs in the post COVID time. The audience consisted of MBA directors, deans and vice deans, programme directors, senior programme managers, programme design and administration professionals, career services, alumni management and other business school executives. Participants formulated a set of questions focusing on the future of MBAs, and had a far-reaching discussion about the challenges and need to overhaul their MBA programmes.

MBA programmes should be more original and designed together with the industry.

The synergy between the business schools and the industry should be, to begin with, honest from both sides. Sometimes, we professors have this curse of thinking that we know best and at the same time, the industry is not always 100% right and that is why mutual communication and collaboration is needed from both parties

What are the pros and cons of online delivery and will the COVID-19 pandemic shift MBA programmes further towards this mode of delivery?

When COVID-19 struck Europe in February 2020, the majority of HE institutions immediately shifted their work online. The hybrid model has remained active during and after the so called “virus peaks” and many believe that online learning will remain in place after the pandemic is over.

However, throughout the pandemic, MBA students have expressed the desire to attend classes in person albeit with the necessary safety measures, stating that an MBA is “all about the networking and that the networking is not fully possible during the online mode”. Yet even if the situation stabilises within one year, we can assume that the hybrid model will remain. The idea of recording lectures and not only broadcasting classes live may continue after the pandemic due to the fact that many students are working and they are unable to attend classes in real time. Nonetheless, MBA students may want to wait before enrolling for next year’s programme because the “social, physical, or so called, human” component of the classes is per se missing in the hybrid mode.

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The industry 4.0 requires a demanding set of skills; it wants stories to be told through data and numbers. And one therefore has to be a communicative, empathetic and persuasive expert. This is what the MBA is lacking today

Do we prepare our MBA students to meet the needs of the Industry 4.0?

Even though all the information one needs today is accessible with just one click, everyone in the industry will need and want the “T-shaped set” of skills, a unique blend of specialised professional and interdisciplinary knowledge. The essential skills that are required for the 4.0 Industry era of digitalisation include cognitive, intrinsic, altruistic and holistic capacities that enable us to “see and feel” the reality from the perspective of others. These affinities will help us better understand and assist each other, our colleagues and our environment. The “t-shaped skill set” shouldn’t be mainly focused on industry, but also on academia and its requirements.

Interdisciplinarity should be embedded in every curriculum and each scientific field.

Introducing well-being courses in the MBA curriculum: a novelty or an absolute necessity?

Courses on well-being are definitely a necessity in today’s world. With the inevitable personal and social consequences of COVID-19, well-being courses can offer a healing zone to alleviate our stress, worries and insecurities. Such a course can be extremely beneficiary for those who spent time in isolation and quarantine, who cannot go back home, or who were directly affected by COVID-19.

The consensus is that all programmes should take care to include similar courses in their curricula to provide much-needed comfort, empathy and encouragement.

Why should MBA professors play the role of coaches/ mentors for their students?

Students are facing a Hamlet dilemma of how to develop themselves based on what they learn and what is accessible to them in the online arena.

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level as well, and as their coaches, support them as they acquire a desirable set of soft and hard skills.

On the other hand, professors should also be role models and advise students on how to successfully meet the demands of Industry 4.0. The relationship between students and their coaches/mentors can be a beneficial, reciprocal learning journey where both parties have the unique opportunity to further develop and broaden their knowledge and tackle problems. Simultaneously, special attention should be given in curriculum development to providing adequate training for professors to thrive within new their coaching/mentoring roles.

Was too much emphasis put on internationalisation instead of regionalisation and how can we build a compromise between the two?

MBA programmes have always sought to have an international image, but what will happen to programmes outside the top tiers? We see today what the top-ranked MBAs can pursue with their international agendas, but for smaller MBA programmes, strategy has aimed more at the regional markets. This diversification of course has ample pros and cons: regional vs. international markets may give the students an additional 'personal touch' because of cultural similarities, but on the other hand, institutions should be cautious not to lose their brand identity. For MBA programmes with a well-established international identity, regionalisation may have an impact on how future students perceive theoverall programme including any imminent market restrictions. The strategy of regionalisation is thus most desirable for countries with common language, history, customs etc., as with Scandinavian and some Asian countries. Another important question is the extent to which curriculum design should focus mainly on international content. MBA programmes should

The Future of MBAs | Sotiris Karagiannis, Saša Žiković and Ivana Marinković

for alumni from different regions to stay in touch and exchange ideas and best practices. Staying connected online should be boosted by the social networks like LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, WeChat and similar as essential means of communication at present. A deeper question arises in relation to the authenticity of these online relationships: are those relationships among students equally strong and long-lasting as the in-person ones? Can virtual reality replace the good old meeting over a “glass of wine”? One potential solution for alumni associations in the COVID-19 era is to organise virtual conferences uniquely designed for alumni groups on a platform where they can continue to brainstorm and communicate in the future.

not forget that on graduating, the majority of students will be working in their local economies.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to isomorphism within the MBA programmes and we can clearly see that the 'one size fits all' format, teaching with the same case studies, materials and international approach, may not be suitable for every region. The future of MBAs thus should definitely be tackled together with the industry, and curricula should be designed in accordance with the Industry 4.0 demands. In parallel, business schools should not feel bound by the current strategic status quo; on the contrary they can learn from the contextual frames and embed in their curriculum the current 'new normal' industry necessities and a more 'personal' approach including the coaching/ mentoring relationship and support.

What will happen with alumni communities and networking in the online arena?

As Arthur Ashe said, “Start where you are, use what you have and do what you can.” We should thus focus on the strengths of the present reality.

The online environment gives many more opportunities for meeting and staying connected, and business schools should embrace this momentum. The online arena is a brilliant forum

What is the secret of a successful MBA programme?

The key to a successful MBA programme is originality: business schools should not try to copy the models of the top tiers, but to strive towards innovation and improvement in their own way.

These continuous processes de facto need time and they do not miraculously happen overnight, but once the quality sui generis is present, it will be acknowledged both by the market and the industry.

MBAs should 'listen' to the demands of Industry 4.0 and simultaneously adapt their curricula to the needs of the “new normal”. They should become 'liquid', with more opportunities for students to choose different subjects and hybrid learning models. As Daniel Pink states in his “3.0 motivational theory”, MBAs should also move in the direction of autonomy, mastery and purpose.

The essence of the future MBA lies in these three pillars. To begin with, each MBA programme should firstly define its purpose in collaboration with its stakeholders, industry, professors and students.

Autonomy is a metaphor for a new self-direction that will help students with their future professional and personal choices, as well as fostering continuous learning and engagement during and after their studies.

About the Authors Sotiris Karagiannis is Graduate Business Programs Director at the University of New York in Prague Saša Žiković is Vice Dean for Science and International Strategic Partnerships at the Faculty of Economics and Business University of Rijeka in Croatia Ivana Marinkovic is Director for Central & Eastern Europe, EFMD Global Network

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What does it mean to have a ‘profession’? Ansgar Richter explores the evolution of the concept, and how business schools can develop future-proof education for professionals

The evolving role of the ‘Professions’

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The evolving role of the ‘Professions’ | Ansgar Richter

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$6.5tr BusinessWire forecasts that the global market for B2B (business to business) professional services alone will grow from $5.4 trillion in 2020 to over $6.5 trillion by 2023

o educate future generations of professionals’ is an important aim of many business schools. A significant proportion of their graduates end up in more traditional professions such as accounting and auditing, and many others move into sectors that rather consider themselves ‘professions’ in a looser sense, such as management consulting. Many of the occupations into which business school graduates move also associate themselves with the ‘professional’ label, from human resources to marketing, supply chain management and beyond.

And these professions apparently remain a growth industry. BusinessWire forecasts that the global market for B2B (business to business) professional services alone will grow from $5.4 trillion in 2020 to over $6.5 trillion by 2023. While the global COVID-19 pandemic has dented this growth, many observers believe professional services will emerge from this crisis less scathed than other sectors.

At the same time, concerns about the future of the professions abound. Over the past twenty years, all of the big accounting and auditing firms, for example, have faced criticism of their failure to avert or uncover accounting scandals, and about their overall ‘professional independence’.

They have also given in to the desire to integrate vertically or to diversify their business models in order to access more profitable service lines, raising concerns that the core competencies on which their original professional identity was based might be diluted or compromised.

Professional service firms have evolved into more regular businesses, and so have lost some of the sheen of being above the commercialism that characterises the business world.

The professions as we know them today are a product of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Their rise since the late phase of the industrial revolution was driven by population growth, trade, the development of modern, organised societies guided by rules and institutions,

the explosion in scientific research and discovery, and the growth of large-scale commercial organisations. The traditional professions – medicine, law and accounting and auditing – were built on a factor of production that became increasingly powerful and indispensable, namely knowledge and expertise. Acquiring such knowledge is time-consuming and difficult, thus it can only be held by relatively few. The dominance accorded to expert knowledge gave its providers a position of power over those who needed it, be they individuals or collective organisations.

In the course of their development, groups of professionals were successful in establishing and protecting dominance in their fields of expertise, by: • advancing the development of this knowledge, so as to keep this power differential; • controlling and limiting access to the professions from within (e.g., through professional associations), thus creating barriers to entry; • establishing strong behavioural and moral codes that extended to the members of the professions, thus helping to keep the professions free from external oversight.

In addition to these traditional professions there emerged others that share some but not all of these three characteristics. For example, the CFA Institute has become a recognised body in finance, but the CFA qualification is not as strict a prerequisite for finance professionals as training in medicine is for medical doctors. In management consulting, the underlying body of knowledge is fairly ill-defined, so it is hard to set generally accepted entry standards. In this situation, industry bodies such as the International Council of Management Consulting Institutes (CMC) or its national member organisations, have remained relatively weak.

Most of the big management consulting firms have remained unaffiliated with these bodies, relying instead on their own brands as signals of quality and expertise.

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In the future, I thus believe we will see more ‘cross-over professions’, lines of work that involve competencies from across different fields. The intersection between data analytics and finance is just one such example

What we see here is an almost dialectic development: with the rise and success of the professions, a lot of semi-professions have emerged, diluting the very ideals that had made the professions successful in the first place.

Another development – and this gets us a little closer to the question of what the future holds – is the rise of new, mixed forms of professional expertise. For example, many of the major accounting and auditing firms have moved firmly into legal services as well. Or think about the rise of forensic accounting, or of firms such as the Berkeley Research Group that blend regulatory law, industry economics, and data analysis. If it is becoming harder to regulate the professions, that is because the advanced expertise on which they rely becomes more intricate and complex, and subject to fast-paced change.

There are even more fundamental concerns about the long-term future of the professions, however. In their book, “The Future of the Professions”, father and son Richard and Daniel Susskind argue that the rise of data analytics, artificial intelligence and machine learning, and of autonomous systems, will not only change many professional services, but could render them obsolete. The pair believe that modern technologies do much more than just organise and distribute expert knowledge more efficiently. Artificial intelligence and machine learning, when applied to ever larger swathes of data, can also generate knowledge more quickly, and solve problems more effectively. For example, pattern recognition may be better than human experts when it comes to identifying accounting irregularities or precedence in legal disputes. The book also provides examples of how computers can engage in creative tasks.

And information technologies can provide diagnostic analytics in ways once considered the prerogative of human experts. In sum, Susskind and Susskind argue that there is hardly any human 122

competence that, if considered in isolation, could not be carried out by IT, at least in principle.

These examples show that new technologies are changing the face of professional services.

The new professions may well be unrecognisable from our point of view today. Although Susskind and Susskind’s analysis is well-informed and thought-provoking, my own view on the future of the professions is more optimistic than theirs.

I believe that by and large, IT has complemented and thus supported the professions and opened new opportunities to them. You could even argue that AI and data analytics have reinforced, or widened, the power distance between professional service providers and buyers. That in itself may well be a problem. Take the example of Cambridge Analytica, a consulting firm of sorts that went bust after it became public that the company had used data from millions of Facebook profiles in order to develop microtargeting strategies which influenced the 2016 American elections that brought Donald Trump into power.

Moreover, there are reasons to believe that humans do have some competencies that for the moment, at least, computers and AI systems cannot easily match, including the ability to: • interpret and to make sense of a particular situation in a holistic fashion, taking into account the social, economic, psychological, cultural or other dimensions of, say, a legal or a medical problem; • empathise, and to be passionate about something. AI systems can be creative, but they won’t attach passion or other types of human emotions to the things they create, precisely because such emotions are a human attribute.

• cope with considerable ambiguity, versatility (e.g. the ability to draw on seemingly disparate sources of expertise), and to adapt to new situations.

The evolving role of the ‘Professions’ | Ansgar Richter

In the future, I thus believe we will see more ‘cross-over professions’, lines of work that involve competencies from across different fields. The intersection between data analytics and finance is just one such example.

Of course, how exactly the new professions will look, we cannot know. Nevertheless, I believe the general points made above have significant implications for students and for providers of education: • Much greater emphasis is needed on life long learning. We cannot anticipate which exact competencies will be needed in tomorrow’s jobs. Learning will need to be distributed over people’s lifetimes.

• Initial study in particular should be far more inter-disciplinary in nature than it often is today.

The really interesting questions are at the interfaces between different fields of expertise.

At RSM, and elsewhere at Erasmus University, we have begun to implement a more interdisciplinary approach. For example, together with Erasmus Medical Center, we will soon be introducing a new specialisation in Medical Business & Innovation within our Master’s degree programme.

• Finally, the ability to interpret, to communicate persuasively, and to move from insight to action.

At a time when the political leaders in many countries blatantly flout the rule of law, who could argue that legal expertise is becoming unimportant? Yet what is missing here is not the expertise, but the ability and willingness to draw the right consequences, to communicate them, and to design approaches that change human behaviours for the better. To make this insight personal. This also includes the ability to interpret and to ask relevant questions – to critique and to identify the limits of a given answer.

In sum, I believe that the notion of professions as fields that are neatly organised according to particular bodies of knowledge will, in the long run, become obsolete. However, professional skills that involve using knowledge from diverse sources, interpreting them, and turning them into actionable insight, will gain in importance. If they are to stay relevant, business schools have a key role to play in this regard.

About the Author Ansgar Richter is Dean of Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM) and Professor of Corporate Strategy, Organisation and Governance.

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Dr Anne Keränen (Martti Ahtisaari Institute, Oulu Business School, Finland) is a postdoctoral researcher and lecturer in responsible leadership, a mother of three boys and in her spare time, a keen cyclist. Anne is seen here during her recent visit to the University of Stellenbosch, a South African Partner of the GRLI, where she worked on a programme for women entrepreneurs and leadership professionals.

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