While wondering to what extent aiming at profit maximization is ethically viable; I read a blog post by the former dean of the Yale School of Management Joel M. Podolny highlighting the Business Schools’ responsibility in the 2008 crisis: “Are Business Schools to Blame?” (March 30, 2009 – Harvard Business Review). Joel Podolny identifies 3 main reasons explaining the burden put on MBAs:

Firstly, leadership is taught as a soft, big picture oriented course contrasting with the details on which hard, quantitative courses focus. Such dysfunctional divide between the challenges of management and leadership under-considers values and ethics. Secondly, the fact that MBA degrees compete with one another in terms of graduates’ salaries increases doesn’t foster that a MBA is before all a professional degree requiring responsibility and accountability. Finally, Business Schools emphasize the success of their former graduates but don’t accept responsibility for the harm they do.

How will Business Schools demonstrate a greater affinity with society’s interests? This question needs to be answered for trust to revive between people and Business Schools.

At Sauder and elsewhere I see changes. Building-up on my previous blog post introducing Social Business, I notice for instance sprouting and Continue reading →