The Changing Role of Business Schools

Segment Highlights

The 2015 AACSB Deans Conference’s theme, the Future of Work, focused on the major question business schools should be asking themselves. Specifics of disciplines and the particular roles that people are going to play will continue to change. Students continue to need to be taught the fundamentals behind disciplines, but the specifics will change. The most valuable thing in business today is the ability to synthesize information, to work with other people, to gain others’ trust, to lead and advocate, to be a good listener, to be accessible, and to create safe environments for others to tell you the truth.

Experiential learning, mentorship, situational learning, and coaching will play an even larger role for business schools. For closer engagement with the business community, it is important to continue to evolve the alignment between AACSB accreditation standards and priorities of employers.

The structure for governance of business and academic institutions is very different. Businesses place priority on being nimble, while academic institutions have a committee system and state approval system for significant changes in response to market changes—a slow-moving process. Business schools need to anticipate where the needs and priorities will be two to three years down the road.