Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/111663
Are Schools Teaching The Skills Employers Prize? Table 2 Top Ten Skills Table 1 Top Ten Skills EMPLOYERS Identify* BBA B-SCHOOLS Teach MBA BBA MBA 1. Leadership 80% Leadership 92% 2. Business Writing 76% Business Ethics 76% 3. Business Speaking 72% Organizational Behavior 72% (tie) Social Responsibility 72% 4. Business Ethics 68% Business Speaking 68% Change Management 68% (tie) 4. Business Speech Change Management 5. Social Responsibility 56% Business Writing 60% 5. Business Ethics Business Writing 6. Change Management 48% Teamwork 56% 6. Social Responsibility Teamwork 7. Decision Making 44% Power and Responsibility 52% 8. Career Planning 36% Decision Making 42% 7. Change Management Power and Responsibility 9. Problem Solving 32% Project Management 32% (tie) Organizational Behavior 32% 8. Decision Making Decision Making 10. Teamwork 28% Imagination and Creativity 28% Employee Management 28% (tie) 9. Career Planning Organizational Behavior 10. Project Management Creativity and Employee Management 1. Leadership 2. Business Writing *The numerical ranking is the one provided by employers; the percentage figure indicates how many of the top 25 BBA and MBA programs teach that skill. Leadership Business Ethics 3. Organizational Behavior Social Responsibility Other Skills EMPLOYERS Identify SKILL BBA MBA Advanced Communication 24% 32% Motivation 16% 12% Imagination & Creativity 16% listed above Career Planning listed above 16% Problem Solving listed above 16% Employee Management 12% listed above listed above 12% Ability to Learn 8% 4% Power & Responsibility 8% listed above Management of the Future 4% 0% Self-Awareness 8% 0% Prioritization of Tasks 0% 0% Persistence 0% 0% Empathy 0% 0% Perseverance 0% 0% Time Management 0% 0% Project Management 42 March/April 2013 BizEd Table 1 shows which skills employees value the most when they hire business school graduates. Table 2 shows the top ten skills taught at 25 elite schools. It���s clear that business schools have done a superb job of equipping graduates with business and leadership skills, but they haven���t always been successful in teaching softer skills such as self-awareness, long-term planning, time management, task prioritization, empathy, and persistence. But new AACSB accreditation SB standards devoted to executive education may cause business schools to give more weight to these softer skills in the future.