As a 52 year old I am always intrigued by the passionate defence of the old symbols that my generation use to define themselves. Existing business models are in serious trouble but more and more money is thrown at it - hoping that that one morning all will be forgiven and business will go back to “Business as Usual”
But there is hope when you see institutions turning on themselves and asking the right questions. One such forward thinker is: Professor Henry Mintzberg who is one of the world's most influential teachers of business strategy. He’s developing a new lesson plan: to change the very essence of business education itself asserting that:-
'You Can't Create a Leader in a Classroom.'
His argument is that the MBA is ineffective and redundant because its attempt to teach Leadership in class has failed. Don’t tell this to those who slogged long hours to obtain this qualification.. I have crossed paths with some of them and I must say the qualification meant more than the transfer of knowledge to the work place – which often was less than 15%. In my book this underscores Mintzberg’s assertion.
I agree and think that historic education are in serious need of change but its almost like asking “Turkeys to Vote for Thanks Giving” , meaning the very acceptance of the need for change can be the signing of your own death warrant.
But it need not be all “doom or gloom”, “us or them” because the convergence and adoption of new technologies to that merge “old brick and mortar” with the new are opening up new possibility. Letting IN those previously on the OUTSIDE
But we need a new Openness to doing things differently – don’t get me wrong a great deal of the old thinking is worth preserving
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