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people in their 20s and 30s are leaving Poland and Russia," Kolasa notes. "This is perceived as an opportunity for export from Poland to those countries, because, in the past, the business conditions in those coun- tries were not favorable to the Poles." Increasingly, says Kolasa, Poland is perceived as a "bridge to the East." As alliances build across the globe, Central and Eastern countries such as Serbia Europe are seeking partners in business and education, as well as other support systems to help the region build its infra- structure. Many believe that such partnership may prove to be a wise investment for foreign organizations as these countries become stronger economic forces. Investing in Intellectual Capital Perhaps the strongest indication that Central and Eastern European countries are on their way to a brighter economic future lies in the changing attitudes of the younger genera- tion. Although many in the older generation may see business as "dirty," as Diedring describes, many young people see it as something else: opportunity. "Younger people are starting to see that business is not for the West. ferent from their "old world" predecessors. And, ironically, while business schools have worked toward this goal, they also have had to adopt the same entrepreneurial practices that they must teach to their students. Since the Baltic Management Institute opened its doors to executives in 2000, with the help of startup EU funding, the school has been an intellectual and entrepreneurial venture in every sense, says Diedring. "We like to think of ourselves as totally entrepreneurial in nature. We must keep close track of customer needs, price our services appropriately, and position ourselves as a center of excellence for this type of management training in the Baltic region." The Higher School of Business-National Louis University, only materially profitable; it also can be intellectually stimu- lating and socially rewarding," notes Diedring. The promise of intellectual reward is, in fact, drawing people with artistic and scientific backgrounds to apply their creative and analyti- cal skills to the business arena. The trend toward "intellectu- al entrepreneurship" is so prominent that the phenomenon has captured the attention of educators worldwide, including Diedring and Kwiatkowski. Its cause lies in the emphasis old communist regimes placed on national art and research efforts, explains Kwiatkowski, who has written two books on the subject, and is working on a third. "Countries such as Poland and those in the former Soviet says Kolasa, also realizes that its mission as a purveyor of man- agement education is crucial for the region it serves. "We have a mandatory course in entrepreneurship at the bache- lor's and master's level; in addition, we require students to participate in a short internship with a firm." To assure the economic success of the region, he holds, "more education and support is mandatory." In addition to a lack of capital, these economies are also suffering from a gradual "brain drain," says Wilson, as people in their 20s and 30s are leaving countries such as Serbia for the West. Wilson of CIPE hopes that local business programs may create more opportunities at home to retain that talent. "Medium and large enterprises really need the management skills right now," he says. "If these companies are going to be competitive, they need to be able to train local managers. Therefore, we need to create good management programs in the region." Although the West is looking at Central and Eastern Union offer a very hospitable environment for intellectual entrepreneurship. The artists and scientists once were finan- cially supported by the government. They had a very good life under socialism," he explains. However, when that support vanished, these intellectuals needed to find a new means of support and a new outlet for their talents. "You would be amazed at how many mathematicians and physicists are now in business," Kwiatkowski says. "Because of their backgrounds, they have a talent for handling chaos, for working within it to make good decisions." In the last two decades, many management education European countries with great interest in terms of what they might add to the global economy, the interaction, for now, is somewhat one-sided, Wilson says. That is, the global econ- omy can survive without Central and Eastern Europe; but that region cannot survive without help, he believes. The transformation will start with quality education programs that focus on business building and the nature of competi- tion, as well as investment of talent and capital from global organizations. The greatest challenge, concludes Diedring, is "to create institutions have opened in the region, much to the delight of those who wish to help these countries make successful tran- sitions into the global economy. Educators have made it a pri- ority to cultivate existing talent and to spark an interest in business among the young, whose outlook is decidedly dif- well-trained middle to senior managers who understand how business works in a market economy." As management edu- cation becomes more accessible to the general population, so, too, will the opportunity to prosper locally and globally. The next generation of well-trained entrepreneurs may be the cat- alyst for sweeping change in these emerging markets, putting them on their way to a healthy and thriving economy. ■ z BizEd JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2002 39