Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/54913
Establishing Best Practices Respondents shared a number of their best practices on the survey. These approaches, they noted, increase their students' "cultural com- petence" and prepare them to func- tion effectively in the global arena. Integrating travel into core cours- es: While the typical international visit lasts one to two weeks, many schools now make these trips part of semesterlong courses. Students conduct research, complete course- work, attend sessions about the country, or interact with consulting clients before they depart on their study tours. They attend debriefing sessions after their return. For example, the Wharton School offers its Global Immersion Pro- gram, which attracts approximately 135 first-year MBAs each year. Stu- dents spend the first five weeks of the program studying a particular global region; they then spend four weeks experiencing that region firsthand. Although they can be challenging to arrange, global consulting proj- ects are quickly becoming among the most popular global experiences, combining study with real-world problem solving. IMD in Lausanne, Switzerland, makes its international consulting project compulsory in its MBA program. At the Tuck School, student teams have completed 135 on-site global consulting engage- ments in more than 45 countries. Increased interest in courses on social responsibility has given rise to a range of consulting projects that focus on improving the quality of life in emerging markets. Colum- bia University's Chazen Institute of International Business in New York City holds a 12-week Master Class Program in which student teams complete consulting assignments 52 May/June 2011 BizEd and case study work. A recent Mas- ter Class focused on private equity and entrepreneurship in Africa. Stu- dents spent the semester preparing for a two-week field trip to sub- Saharan and North Africa, where they worked with local firms. At MIT's Sloan School of Manage- ment in Cambridge, Massachu- setts, teams of students work with entrepreneurs in particular sectors of emerging markets—for instance, global health delivery in Africa. Offering a "menu" of options: Schools are finding a menu-style approach works best to serve diverse student populations. The programs surveyed typically offer trips to four to six countries in one academic year and provide at least four or five ways for students to meet global experience require- ments. In some cases, students are asked to apply to different, selective opportunities by submitting state- ments that outline how they think particular global exposure options will fulfill their educational and professional objectives. Adding time for reflection: Some schools ask students to keep intro- spective "cultural diaries" of their travel experiences. Encouraging students to take the lead: Some schools reported that their students are even ar- ranging their own activities, such as lunchtime sessions where international classmates share their knowledge about their home countries. In many programs, students also are allowed to design their own international programs, choosing among electives at their home schools and partner schools abroad, and choosing the duration of international study. In this way, they can tailor a program to best suit their schedules, objectives, and time and financial constraints. Globalization Is Risky— And Necessary This study reflects a small sample of schools, but its findings still high- light the areas of innovation and change required to build a global MBA program. Schools making the transition into a global curriculum will face risk and uncertainty, not to mention dwindling revenue during the current recession. To make this transition suc- cessfully, schools must assess and manage their faculty's reaction to curricular change without alienat- ing anyone. They must involve students as integral players from the beginning, allowing them to provide feedback, contribute to the change process, and take owner- ship of the results. Most important, school administrators must antici- pate the operational challenges of implementing new curricula, which will impact everything from advis- ing to student services to staffing. But in spite of these challenges, globalization is the key for a busi- ness school to remain competitive. The failure to prepare a global workforce will render an MBA program irrelevant sooner rather than later. Robert F. Dyer is professor of marketing at the George Washington University School of Business in Washington, D.C. M. Murat Tarimcilar is GWSB's associate dean of graduate programs and professor of decision sciences. The complete findings of the survey can be found in "Global Exposure in Leading MBA Programs," chapter 12 of the book Real Learning Opportunities in Busi- ness School and Beyond.