Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/58916
Most business schools want to offer their students an international perspective; but if their own faculty members rarely travel, they are essentially asking their students to "do as they say, not as they do." Faculty Diversity We asked our survey participants to describe the cultural makeup of their faculties, as well as the experiential back- grounds of their faculty members. Most schools—about 50 percent—reported that between 1 and 39 percent of their faculty have been recruited from outside the school's home country. Creating an ethnically diverse faculty is yet another chal- lenge among survey respondents. Among the 67 respondents, all report that a majority of their faculty share a single nation- ality. Ethnic minorities make up fewer than 20 percent of the faculty at 43 of the schools in our survey. Faculty International Experience Finally, we asked survey participants about the internatinal experience of their faculties. Most business schools want to offer their students an international perspective; but if their own faculty members rarely travel, they are essentially ask- ing their students to "do as they say, not as they do." Such a discrepancy may send the wrong message, especially if a business school wants to present a global character, not only to students, but to peer schools. Although faculty at most of the 67 business schools in our survey travel internationally for conferences or presentations, not nearly as many make efforts to travel and teach abroad. That is, few volunteer to lead international student trips, teach at partner schools, or consult for international companies. Among our sample, 51 of 66 schools reported that fewer than 20 percent of their faculty regularly lead international trips. In addition, 38 of 66 reported that fewer than 20 percent of their faculty regularly teach or consult abroad. Moving Toward Best Practices Of course, business schools that post high marks in all six of these dimensions can confidently claim a large and compre- hensive global footprint. However, 100 percent success in all six dimensions is not necessarily the desired objective for an individual business school. The level of internationaliza- tion within each dimension depends on a school's strategy, budget, human resources, competitive environment, institu- tional context, and student demographic. While one size won't fit all, however, respondent schools generously shared their best practices for adopting and integrating globalization into their programs. For example, a few schools, such as the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, have appointed "czars of internationalization" to oversee their university's globalization efforts. Such posi- tions not only formalize the globalization process, but also assign someone direct responsibility for implementing best practices and evaluating the results. Other schools have launched initiatives that include: n Developing and leveraging international partnerships to create new opportunities and extend reputation. n Creating MBA programs targeted specifically to interna- tional students. n Integrating a thematic core curriculum involving teams of faculty. n Requiring students to achieve proficiency in multiple languages. n Establishing a center for the development of interna- tional research, courses, and training. n Participating in faculty and student exchanges. n Creating joint programs with organizations such as the Peace Corps or the World Bank. n Requiring students to create international business plans for companies. n Requiring students to travel overseas. n Integrating cultures in the classroom. n Involving students in joint programs with business stu- dents in other countries. n Encouraging students to complete part of their studies at a school in another country. n Actively recruiting international faculty. n Providing funds for faculty to travel to other countries. n Encouraging faculty exchanges with schools in other countries. n Including international study trips, consultations, and research in faculty development activities. n Assigning an administrator to track, evaluate, and adopt global best practices. As our survey shows, even though globalization is labeled a priority at many schools, it often still does not receive the same strategic attention as other aspects of the business pro- gram. By assessing the six dimensions of its global footprint, a business school can devise mission-based objectives more wisely, allocate funding more effectively, and integrate global topics into its curriculum to its best advantage. Only then can a school know if its global footprint is sufficient for its purposes—or far too faint to make a mark in the global busi- ness education market. n z Ilan Alon is associate professor of international business and director of global consulting projects at Rollins College's Crummer Graduate School of Business in Winter Park, Florida. Craig McAllaster is dean of the school. BizEd MAY/JUNE 2006 35