Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/54894
FOCUS ON INNOVATION Following New Directions by Tricia Bisoux M essy. Exhausting. Exciting. Frightening. Fun. Unpredictable. Life-changing. These are just a few words that educators use to describe what it's like to take management education in new directions—that is, to eschew tried-and-true classroom formats for approaches that often have no clear precedent and no assur- ance of success. While few of these pedagogical experiments turn out the way educators expect, almost all evolve into valuable learning experiences for stu- dents and faculty alike. AACSB International's re-- cent report, "Business Schools on an Innovation Mission," highlighted the need for busi- ness schools to embrace inno- vation in ways that suit their diverse missions and strengths. But to create cultures where inno- vation becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, it helps for business schools to share ideas about how to inspire faculty to experiment and how to engage students in nontraditional classrooms—about what worked and what still needs tweaking. Here, educators discuss the lessons they've learned as they've implemented innovation in their curricula. While no approach works for everyone, these educators hope there's inspiration here for others who want to take new paths in management education. 40 BizEd JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011 Programs that have broken the mold in the business classroom offer eight ideas for successful innovation—and share how teaching within cultures of innovation has paid off for them, their students, and their schools.