Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/80527
Clicks COME FACE TO FACE "H BY DANIEL SZPIRO ow can earn- ing an MBA help me run a not- for-profit organization?" is a question I've been asked many times by managers hoping to advance their careers in this sector. I always point out that an MBA can help them develop their leadership, financial liter- acy, marketing savvy, and stra- tegic thinking abilities—skills that will be critical whether they're working in a commer- cial or not-for-profit setting. I was reminded of my response to that question recently when I left my role as associate dean for executive education at the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell Uni- versity in Ithaca, New York, to become dean of the Jack Welch Management Institute (JWMI) at Strayer University. Strayer is headquartered in Herndon, Virginia, but the Executive MBA program is delivered entirely online. Friends and colleagues asked how I would adapt to the dif- ferences between the two set- tings—one brick-and-mortar, one digital. I pointed out that while there are indeed differ- ences between the two, there are also important similarities. They're alike in that both kinds of organizations are driven by two critical success factors: the imperative to innovate and the need for resources that allow them to pursue their goals. They're different in the way they deploy resources to achieve their dissimilar missions. I expect to transition smoothly from one type of institution to the other because I respect the similarities, I believe in the differences—and I understand how the two mod- els are converging. BizEd September/October 2012 27