Experts contend that the current approach at many B-Schools maybe contributing to a short-term mindset and superficiality in career or learning outcomes. Among other things, this may also be contributing to the worryingly short time that some graduates spend in their breakthrough jobs from B-School. Enough has been spoken about Gen AI, digital transformation and technology, however, existential questions, ethical dilemmas, personal leadership – none of these get as much screen time at institutions.
It is no wonder that some students find it difficult to adjust to life beyond the protected environments of their campuses. Creativity, adaptability and emotional intelligence are usually the first casualties in a frenetic paced MBA curriculum where students live by the day (and night).
Social media is replete with B-School students’ opinions on their time in campus and this experience can be summarised in one word – coping. Coping with assignments, coping with classes etc. It is amply clear that the current generation of business students want more than an academic degree. They don’t want to be drained out but still would like to reach their goals. They want to work hard but still make space for reflection. Reflection is crucial for a deeper appreciation of learning and triggers more nuanced decision making.
Are we, as B-Schools, able to take up the challenge and expand our views on what is a good education? Students want experiences and opportunities that are radically different. Is the current concept of success obsolete? Does the concept have enough emphasis on areas such as equality, ecological impact, etc? We tend to take pride in our ability to make students cope with pressure. It may also be worthwhile for B-Schools to enable a process of unfettered discovery both within and outside the classroom.
There’s now a greater need for what educational sociologists call the ‘hidden curriculum’. Derek Rowntree defines hidden curriculum as ‘all the beliefs and values and understandings that are passed on to the student in an educational institution, not through formal teaching, but unconsciously, through what the institution implicitly demands of the student’. The writer argues like some others that the unintended lessons and perspectives need to be brought to the fore as much as the concept of stakeholder value (though shareholder value still rules the roost in thought and action at most institutions).
A successful implementation of such a hidden curriculum will require educational institutions to embody the change they wish to see in their students over time. The adage that ‘a child does what it sees, not what you say’ holds true in more mature settings such as higher educational institutions as well. Managing difficult conversations, gender-based communication, upward management, inclusive leadership are some of the areas the writer can think of that merit far more attention and curation at B-Schools. Such courses create a seamless symphony out of a cluster of standalone courses and activities that sum up the MBA years.
It’s normally assumed that these subterranean lessons operate on the periphery, are fixed and don’t require change. This assumption and its lessons may then be propagating the same biases and stereotypes from one batch to the next. It is no surprise that quite a few B-School graduates may still tend to downplay the broader societal role of business, use obsolete frameworks and models to solve problems or practice authoritarian leadership styles.
Are we, as B-Schools, able to take up the challenge and expand our views on what is a good education? Students want experiences and opportunities that are radically different
“If you give good people bad information, they make bad decisions,” says Yuval Noah Harari. A more formal integration of the hidden curriculum is possibly a way to escape Harari’s contention and an opportunity for transformation at B-Schools. Synergy is required between what is professed and the reality that exists. This synergy provides a more realistic learning experience for students and an opportunity for the B-School to strengthen cultural underpinnings.
Management education stands as an important pillar and conduit for enabling careers and leadership in a vibrant Indian economy. This enablement has been in existence for many years now. To ensure many more years of impactful contribution, B-Schools may need to look within, disrupt the core and create more avenues for discovery by manifesting the hidden curriculum.
(Views expressed are personal)