Harvard Changes Course

The Wall Street Journal has an interesting article online about the curriculum changes going on at Harvard and other elite B-schools. These schools are starting to realize that a business education must focus on more than just making profit and social connections and instead must begin to focus on ethics and social responsibility. It's hard to tell if some of this may just be positioning by the schools as they seek cover from the fallout of the financial crisis or if it will be long lasting. Fair or not, many have blamed business schools for turning out grads who focused solely on profits, sometimes at the expense of ethics and responsible behavior, and to their credit, business schools appear to be listening. Since the elite B-schools tend to be the trend setters, I'd expect similar announcements to start coming from many other schools.

For current MBAs I think it's important to note that businesses are also much more focused on ethics and teamwork from their MBA hires than ever before. I know at the Jenkins MBA program here at NC State we are hearing this theme over and over from the companies that come to campus to recruit our grads. It appears that the days of the Lone Ranger MBA are dwindling and the most successful grads of the future won't be individual superstars but effective team players capable of leading people in the profitable pursuit of responsible business practices.

Check out the article online by clicking below for more details.
Wall Street Journal - Harvard Changes Course