Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/499026
MAY | JUNE 2015 BizEd 55 research training), follows an appropri- ate schedule (it gives students Fridays o so they can travel to the firms), and is committed to continuous improve- ment (through a feedback loop). Finally, the program focuses on a narrow scope of operations (it works with smaller but publically traded firms), provides engaging content (it develops skills that have real-world relevance), and oers experimental leeway (the dean allowed Ricchiuti to give it a try). Tulane had all nine factors in place to launch an innovative program—which is now in its 22nd year. THE GLOBAL CLASSROOM In 2000, MIT professors Simon Johnson and Rick Locke were teaching a course called "Entrepreneurship Without Bor- ders," which focused on the needs of en- trepreneurs in global settings. Students in the class already were familiar with a project-based MIT course called E-Lab, which brought teams of students togeth- er to consult for local entrepreneurs. They asked if the MIT Sloan professors could create a global version. While at first Johnson and Locke were daunted by the idea, they assembled a handful of international projects for students to work on, and G-Lab was born. Nearly 15 years later, MIT's O¨ce of Action Learning manages a robust portfolio of oerings modeled after G-Lab, and participating students can choose projects from a wide list of countries and business sectors. For ex- ample, China-Lab pairs G-Lab students with local MBAs from several Chinese business schools. S-Lab brings together student teams working on sustainability projects. Firms around the world par- ticipate in G-Lab, investing US$10,000 to $15,000 to fly out and house the four MBA students who will tackle some of their most vexing problems. The G-Lab course has two primary components: the classroom experience in the fall semester and the consulting engagement in January's intersession period. Currently, two tenured faculty members teach the course. Students form teams and bid on proj- ects, then professors decide on the final matchups. Teams create work plans, including deliverables and timelines; months before they depart for their vis- its, they provide their plans to the host firms for approval. For the rest of the semester, they participate in calls with clients and begin working on their de- liverables. Before leaving for the winter break, they create a final report based on their research. In January, students begin a three- week on-site engagement, which cul- minates in a presentation to the client. When students return to MIT, they participate in large- and small-group re- flection sessions where they share what they learned with peers and faculty. Faculty involved in G-Lab share teach- ing and mentoring techniques with each other so that everyone can benefit from everyone else's experiences. Like the Burkenroad Reports, G-Lab succeeds because it requires MIT Sloan to meet certain requirements of being, knowing, and doing. G-Lab is institution- ally distinctive (it draws on the school's entrepreneurial focus), demand-driven (host firms select the problems they want solved), and collaborative (it's operated by a committed team). It's also peda- gogically sound (it's focused on action learning), appropriately scheduled (it's held during the intersession period), and continuously improving (through ongoing course adjustments and annual reviews). Finally, it's focused (on small- to medium-sized firms with verified leadership participation), oers engaging content (in sectors that students are keenly interested in), and enjoys experi- mental leeway (it was launched with pilot projects and allowed to grow). By most accounts, G-Lab is consid- ered the crown jewel of MIT Sloan's Action Learning eorts. It is the school's highest-profile, most-recognized, and most-cited oering. As one student said, "If you go to Harvard Business School, you should take a strategy course with Michael Porter. If you go to MIT, you should do G-Lab." ADAPTING TO INNOVATION The landscape for the MBA is rapidly changing, and schools of management have come under fire for not adapting quickly enough. Rather than simply teaching students the value of inno - vation, business schools should apply those same principles of innovation to management education itself. With this research, I hope to provide a compass to administrators consid- ering their own schools' oerings and attributes. They can use this framework to launch innovations of their own, thereby extending the reach and impact of management education. J.D. Schramm is the Class of 1978 Lectur- er at the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University in California where he teaches a wide range of elective classes in communication. To read his entire doctoral dissertation, which provided the basis for this article, contact him at jschramm@stanford.edu. Firms around the world participate in G-Lab, investing US$10,000 to $15,000 to fly out and house the four MBA students who will tackle some of their most vexing problems.