B-School Moves to Revamp MBA Program

Last fall, Dean of the Business School John H. McArthur went to the Yale School of Organization and Management to participate in its study on Harvard's teaching style.

During McArthur's appearance, he released comments from a confidential speech he gave at a retreat with President Neil L. Rudenstine and several Harvard deans in June 1992. They revealed the dean's fear that the Business School could fall behind.

"Only a hair lies between our being successful, self-confident, achieving, upbeat, open to change, able to change, generous [in] spirit, fulfilling for our people...and floundering mediocrity," McArthur said at Yale.

The dean's comments followed criticism by he business community and he national media of the school's case-study method, which some deemed outdated and ineffective.

So in the fall, the Business School began the difficult process of remaking itself, embarking on one of the most comprehensive and radical restructuring plans in its history.

'Losing Ground'

Last July, Business Week featured the Business School on its cover, alleging that the institution was "losing ground." The magazine quoted several Business School alumni and students who said they were unhappy with the way the school was operating.

Four months later, the school released a draft version of a project, dubbed "Leadership and Learning," to restructure its flagship MBA program.

The plan calls for a de-emphasis of traditional case-based classroom discussion and places special focus on teamwork by devoting approximately 25 percent of coursework to group projects.

According to a recent school newsletter, Leadership and Learning is designed to encourage development of business leaders rather than to "train managers."

"It is trying to prepare our graduates for the increasingly changing, uncertain and challenging world and to reflect it in our curriculum," says Arbuckle Professor of Business Administration Carl S. Sloane, who heads the personal improvement and continuous education component of Leadership and Learning.

A Four-Part Plan

According to Professor of Business Administration Leonard A. Schlesinger, head of the Core Design Team in charge of the curriculum, there are four parts to the plan.

It includes a revision of the school's academic calendar from a two-term to a 30-week system with a four to six week orientation session. This early session, called "Foundations," consists of short classes designed to enhance basic skills.

The new calendar also attempts to incorporate career development with personal improvement learning focused on changing behavior. Under the plan, the second-year curriculum will change to concentrate on organizational behavior and field-based learning.

Currently, first-year MBA candidates have no room for electives. To change that, the plan also suggests a consolidation of the 11 semester-long courses required of first-years into four comprehensive, year-long courses taught by groups of faculty.

Implementation

Announced in the spring of 1992, implementation of Leadership and Learning to date will take place in three stages, officials say.

Phase I involved data gathering and a clear definition of the case for change in the MBA program. Headed by a Core Design Team and Faculty Development Committee, eight task forces began an extensive research and review process last spring.

Phase II consisted of designing proposals and recommendations based on the research.

Leadership and Learning entered into the third phase on February 10, Schlesinger says.

The Business School faculty approved a group of "desired characteristics and capabilities," which includes three general categories--"Values and Qualities," "Skills" and "Knowledge." They serve as a set of specifications and criteria to administer the direction of the restructuring.

Most of this year has been spent on the design of Leadership and Learning and faculty review of the proposals, Sloane says.

"It won't all happen on a single day," he says. "There will be some changes and experiments in this and next academic years."

Though faculty involvement has been "nothing short of extraordinary," Schlesinger says, most of the actual implementation has yet to begin.

The "Foundations" curriculum will be put in place by the summer of 1995 while a formal proposal concerning values and ethical issues will be presented next fall. Second-year reforms will take place in the 1995-96 academic year, Schlesinger says.

"We're happy with where we are," Schlesinger says. "But we haven't done any big implementations yet. The faculty will see significant orientations this fall."

Robison Professor of Business Administration James I. Cash Jr., chair of he MBA program, emphasizes the continual nature of Leadership and Learning's implementation process.

"We are attempting to reduce fragmentation that exists in our core curriculum and we're setting up an organizational structure that will facilitate higher degrees of experimentation and innovation," he says.

Sloane agrees. "It's perceived to be an ongoing process of change," he says. "We're adapting [to] tomorrow's leadership challenges."

Compared to other schools' experiences, Cash says current progress has exceeded his expectations.

"I'm absolutely ecstatic," he says. "The kind of commitment my colleagues have shown has been great."