Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/56523
The Business of Collaboration Outside of their campuses, they're building relationships with schools across the country or across the ocean. Two of the most common catchphrases at b-school today are "interdisciplinary" and "international." These kinds of partnerships take careful planning and dili- T gent maintenance. Collabo- rating with other schools on campus can mean carefully developing procedures that suit all departments and skill- fully negotiating for scarce university resources. Col- laborating with institutions in other countries requires deal- ing with unfamiliar government policies, overcoming language barriers, and coordinating logistics. But not only do the payoffs outweigh the pain, many school Tomorrow's business will be multinational, multicultural, and multidisciplinary. Programs at four schools illustrate how multileveled partnerships prepare students for the challenges ahead. officials believe there is no other way to educate the multitalented, culturally aware problem solvers who will be needed in tomor- row's workforce. For that reason, collaboration—across campus and across continents—could very well be the watchword of the future for business education. For the four schools featured here, it has become an essential part of their pedagogy. Faculty heading their efforts explain how to safely navigate a complex but essential maze of partnerships with fellow schools on campus and far-flung universities. 28 BizEd NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2009 he days of the unhyphenated business degree might soon be over. Within their own universities, business schools are partnering with other departments to offer joint degrees in everything from law to healthcare.