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SeptOct2009

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school administrators need to ask themselves these questions: What qualities and skills should we be developing in our students? What are the most effective approaches for doing this? Are we offering the right programs now or should we experiment with new ideas? As an example, Gitsham and add, particularly as nations negoti- ate over a successor to the Kyoto Protocol and the second phase of the European Emissions Trading scheme. By 2012, they point out, the European Union will make decisions on the future distribution of permits that could be worth up to $3 billion for the airline industry. They note, "Companies need to work closely with regulators to ensure that the new rules do not have unintended consequences. For many business leaders, this engagement will require enhanced skills." New Learning Approaches These enhanced skills probably can't be learned in traditional class- rooms. According to executives who answered the survey, these skills need to be developed through prac- tical experience, whether acquired on the job, through experiential learning, or through learning net- works such as mentoring relation- ships and communities of practice. While individuals need to seek out their own learning opportuni- ties, a corporation can support the education agenda through leader- ship development programs, say Gitsham and Peters. As an example, they describe the process at Unilever, where high-potential executives can take a program on emerging market strategy and work on team projects to build engagement skills. These executives also research current trends and collaborate with NGOs, microfinance organizations, and other grassroots groups. The teams present business proposals to the Unilever board, and the most successful ones are implemented. Business schools must deploy new learning approaches that support executives' efforts and prepare students for their roles in the changing corporate world. According to Gitsham and Peters, Peters describe the MBA program at Ashridge, which includes a compulsory two-week module on "building awareness and skills for leadership for a sustainable future." The challenges and opportunities of sustainability are increasingly fea- tured in the school's executive edu- cation programs and organizational change consulting, and the school has just launched a new executive MSc in sustainability. Increasingly, say Gitsham and Peters, when students consider where they want to pursue their MBA degrees or executive educa- tion courses, they will ask this key question: "How can a management degree help me build the leadership qualities and skills I need for the future?" In light of current trends, the two educators stress that every business school will need to find its own unique answer. The research in this article was obtained from a CEO survey completed in the fall of 2008. To conduct the survey, Ashridge Business School was joined by Case Western Reserve University in the U.S.; China Europe International Business School (CEIBS); IEDC-Bled School of Management in Slovenia; IESE in Spain; INSEAD, France and Singapore; Tecnológico de Monterrey in Mexico; the Uni- versity of Cape Town in South Africa; the University of Waikato in New Zea- land; and the Center for Creative Leadership, with locations around the world. The research was coordinated by the European Academy for Business in Society (EABIS) for the United Nations Global Compact Principles of Responsible Management Education (PRME). It was sponsored by Unilever, IBM, Shell, Johnson & Johnson, and Microsoft, the founding corporate partners of EABIS. The full report is available at www.ashridge.org.uk/globalleaders. BizEd SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2009 9

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