Global Careers

Originally appeared in the Huffington Post.

Although business schools aspire to deliver global MBAs to students, it seems the vast majority are falling short in actual achievement.

The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) released a report last week titled “The Globalization of Managements Education: Changing International Structures, Adaptive Strategies, and theImpact on Institutions.”   The report suggests that business schools need to make more significant and sustained efforts across the curriculum tohelp students understand the challenges of conducting business in differentcultures and countries.

Globalization has changed most businesses dramatically overthe past 10 years. Companies recognize that their best chances for success liewith a steady stream of new talent with a diverse mix of skills, perspectivesand experiences.  However, are business schools able to transform theirapproach and truly offer a global MBA? Are American MBA programs capable of andnimble enough to change?

Seventy-one percent of 71% of MBA programs offer or plan to offer global programs.  Many are incorporating an international component and adding “global” to their MBA programs.  But if they are going toproduce outstanding global managers who are prepared to succeed in the globalmarketplace, these programs must be much more than incorporating study abroador international cases into the curriculum.  They must actively adapt theAmerican business school curricula to a global model. That’s a tall order for mostuniversities – and one that will require a curricula overhaul.

According to Carleen Kerttula, executive director of the MBA Roundtable, 90percent of its members said that cultivating a global mindset is a strategic priority.

“Our members know they need it, and their Executive MBA programs seem to be the most innovative as they leverage international partnerships, infuse curriculum with international cases and faculty and have greater access to visiting business leaders,” Kerttula said. “Full-time MBA programs are starting to adopt this model and it’s a great start.”

MBA program administrators should step back and do what makes most sense for their students, faculty expertise and resources. For instance, Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business decided to build its own campuses in key spotsaround the world and will fly over its own professors to preserve quality. Theschool is building campuses in New Delhi and Kunshan, China, and has campusesin St. Petersburg, Russia and London.

Many MBA programs have incorporated student-led organizations to affect change andinterestingly — especially to me as the author of a book on women workingabroad — the popular “women in business conferences” have increasingly focusedon global issues.  I’ve spoken at many of these conferences over the pastfew years, most recently at NYU Stern Women inBusiness Conference last week with its theme being “Women of the World, Uniting Across Borders”.  The panel I moderated was made up of international businesswomen, and we spent more than an hour talking with aroom filled with interested Stern grads about the need to embrace globalbusiness and work hard at landing an assignment overseas for both short- and long-term career benefits.

U.S. schools need to offer global MBAs because companieswant globally-minded graduates.  But U.S. schools lag behind otherinternational schools across Europe and leading schools in Asia mainly becauseof the multicultural mix of diverse students from around the world.

Former U.S. Ambassador Curtis S. Chin, who served as the U.S. Executive Director of the Asian Development Bank, notes that integration of international students can enhance an overall global atmosphere within an MBA program.  A graduate of Yale’s School of Management and author of aleading book in Japan on U.S. management schools, he has spent years working in Asia for multinational companies. “As part of curriculum, universities must encourage, if not creatively force, interaction among all students to enhancecross-cultural appreciation,” he said.  “Learning from other students, particularly international classmates, ranks as one of the most important aspects of the MBA program.”

Easier saidthan done if a program doesn’t have cross-cultural experts who can successfullyintegrate the diversity of thought within the classroom. It can take years tomake the necessary changes as transformation occurs much more slowly than ifstarting from scratch. But business schools must find a way to short-cut theprocess; recruiting businesses want global mindsets now.

According to C. Perry Yeatman, Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs, Kraft Foods is actively looking fortalent that understands foreign markets and consumer behaviors, as well asthose who can succeed in cross-cultural teams. “We cannot afford to bemindlessly global or hopelessly local. We must strike a balance – a concept wecall “glocal” – in order to capitalize on the growth potential of key marketsaround the world.”

The same is true for engineering giant, DuPont, whichreports more than 60 percent of its sales outside the United States. “Because our industry is global, it’s not possible to have a U.S. careeranymore,” says DianeGulyas, President – DuPont Performance Polymers. “If you want to moveahead, you must be passionate about business beyond U.S. borders.”

But the vast majority of global business leaders I spokewith expressed increasing dissatisfaction with American students who don’tthink beyond their own borders – who don’t have global mindset.

WPP, a leading global marketing communications company thatservices multinational clients in more than 100 countries, demands international perspective. “It would be almost impossible for someone to riseto a leadership position without international experience,” says Jon Steel, WPP Planning Director. “Students who are limited by their own national boundaries today are like the handloom weavers in an era of industrialization: they maystill have a role to play, but it will be in an ever-shrinking one.”

Universities are in for a very challenging decade ahead as they attempt to re-engineer their MBA programs mid-flight while dealing with severe economic turbulence. Some schools will no doubt limit innovation and, out of fear, will maintain the status quo. Others will understand they have no choice and will learn to operate with fewer resources, tapping creative partnerships to drive the global mindset. It all depends on leadership.

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