I have a slightly different view of management training. My undergraduate degree is in management, and I tend to think management should be taught at the graduate level. I wish I’d done my bachelor’s in social sciences, like sociology or psychology, and then pursued an MBA. A two-year MBA would have been sufficient to learn the fundamentals of management. So, I believe students should first obtain an undergraduate degree in a basic science; if followed by an MBA they’ll be sufficiently prepared.
ÖYÖ
BE
In that case, we’re in agreement; that’s what I was trying to say. Young people should first study the subject of their choice or whatever they see as being important to their future career…
ÖYÖ
Yes.
BE
... then complete their basic education with an MBA if they’re planning on a career in management in the private sector.
ÖYÖ
Yes, absolutely. Technical knowledge becomes less relevant the higher you rise in management, as you know; managerial skills take over. Times Higher Education conducts an annual survey of universities across the globe. Last year we studied university structures as part of a project. One thing we noticed was that the top American universities don’t teach management at the undergraduate level, only at the graduate level. That was quite surprising. The other thing was that American universities have moved away from the old internal boundaries and traditional departmental approach. They’ve replaced them with more versatile programs where students can select subjects from a variety of departments according to their interests. Top European universities, in the meantime, offer undergraduate degrees in management, but unlike the American-style universities in Turkey, they introduce specialization early on. The reason for this lies in the differences between our education systems.
High school is quite tough in Europe. Take Italy, for instance, where they have two types of high schools focused on either science or classics; the classics even teach ancient Greek. In Europe, students usually graduate from high school when they’re 20. Since high school education is so difficult, students are better equipped when they start university, so universities can introduce specialist subjects from the first year onwards. In Turkey, the leading universities in management education, such as Boğaziçi, METU, Koç, Sabancı, as well as many foundation universities, have adopted the American model. As the American high school education is easier relative to the European, they take basic subjects like math and history the first two years. Specialist subjects are generally introduced the third year.
You’ve mentioned training in sustainability and innovation. Sustainability appears under a diverse range of headings; sustainability in tourism, for example, is one of the subjects in our tourism management program. Climate change is a subtopic of environmental sciences and is examined from a variety of disciplines. We don’t have a “development studies” program like the ones you find in Europe, but more than one department can offer courses on sustainability and do research in that field.
YA
I taught a course on sustainability in the Boğaziçi University Executive MBA program this year.
ÖYÖ
Yes, it’s covered in the Executive MBA. It’s quite a new addition, too. Subjects covering all three dimensions of sustainability – environmental, social and economic – aren’t widespread in management degree programs. The UN Global Compact, which is a voluntary initiative aimed at engaging the corporate world with the issue of sustainability, launched a Responsible Management Education initiative in 2007. It wants to change the approaches in schools of management across the world in order to train sustainability-conscious managers and leaders for the future. Many management schools in the developed world have joined this platform and signed the compact. Turkey’s leading universities haven’t done that yet.
Courses related to innovation management, on the other hand, have been around for longer, and innovation is taught at both undergraduate and graduate levels. This isn’t about innovation in R&D; it’s about management strategies and techniques. Case studies are carried out by teams and students are encouraged to go into the field. The style is along the lines of, “Go out and do research on this subject, then tell us about the latest developments in the field.” The approach teaches students how to keep abreast of innovation, how to get a feel for the market, and how to gather information. Some of the top universities also have innovation centers doing interdisciplinary research in a range of areas and offering management training.
YA
My views on education are as follows. It starts with the family, and the earlier you start and the more experiences you have, the faster you progress, especially in management. It’s like learning to ride a bike at six versus at 40; there’s a difference between learning at a young age how to save money or how to raise it from others to achieve something versus those who’ve finished all the schooling there is and worked for five or six years before taking on these responsibilities. This is something I see in many managers; it’s especially interesting that managers I admire have actually dabbled in commerce as children. I’ve observed a high correlation between experiences of this kind and the performance of entrepreneurs and managers.
When it comes to education, I believe there needs to be much more emphasis on basic sciences. Because advances in scientific thinking and sciences have accelerated so much that no one without a grounding in math, philosophy and sociology stands a chance in succeeding in marketing or finance. They come so far, but fail to go any higher if they lack a solid foundation. The stronger your foundation, the higher your building can rise. So my view is that undergraduate courses in particular should focus much more on basic subjects. That’s also my recommendation to most people. It’s much easier to get into graduate programs, you’ll be far more successful in the future, and you’ll also have the opportunity of studying more specific topics in graduate school.
Given the difficulty of making a career decision when you’re only 17 years old, I would suggest an educational program that offers a solid foundation. You’re a little better equipped to know what you want when you’re 22. Then, you can pick a graduate program and develop yourself in management, finance or another subject of your choice. To summarize, I have two recommendations about education. First, engage in real life as much as possible: Take on the responsibility of managing a project and budget, even if a small one, and take on the responsibility of managing others. It’s important to make mistakes, do the right thing, and gain experience, because those experiences stay with you. The second is to acquire a solid foundation in basic sciences. I also recommend to people who want to become managers that they allocate time to non-governmental organizations and community service in particular. These experiences will teach them about society and how to use the power of persuasion to sway others. Those skills are also useful for managing the Y and Z generations. Unquestioning obedience is no longer the way to get things done. Persuasion is.
The greatest wealth is being able to give and share. This could be your knowledge, your time, or other resources. Giving a resource and learning how to get results will enrich your life and develop your management skills.
BE
Very good. I agree with what you said, and I’d like to add something more, if I may. Having a good grasp of general knowledge is also crucial for people who want to study or pursue a career in management, particularly in light of the growing importance of innovation. I don’t think innovation is possible without general knowledge. If experts with tremendous knowledge in their own disciplines can’t look at problems from different perspectives or be inspired by or benefit from work in other disciplines, then it’s unlikely they’ll be able to contribute to innovation.
Sadly, this seems to be at odds with recent trends. I’m afraid I don’t see enough interest or effort being made by people to enrich their general knowledge.
YA
I believe that young people can benefit hugely from taking an interest in at least one art form and one sport as they grow up. Team sports, for instance, quickly teach the value of discipline and help young people develop swift decision-making skills, the ability to use teammates’ strengths to compensate for their own weaknesses, the importance of studying how to win before a match by developing your strategy and tactics, and the skill of time management. Similarly, artistic pursuits increase sensitivity to others. Being able to see things from different perspectives creates an appreciation of different viewpoints and innovativeness. So, people who’ve taken up arts and sports at school have certain advantages. In fact, among managerial candidates of equal ability, I prefer those who’ve played fast team sports like basketball or volleyball because they will have thoroughly internalized these traits.