An MBA is said to be the crown jewel of the business world and every top university that regards themselves as the sole proprietor of this remarkable revolution in teaching claims to be making leaders. Are they really? If they are making leaders; what kind of leaders are they making?
I have been against some of the teachings that are popularized in the MBA curriculum for a long time now. I was on the MBA track myself until I realized that an MBA will only hamper my growth as a human being and lead me to the path of leadership that to me seems too fantastical. An MBA curriculums primary goal is to do business or rather how to make money. They teach their students how to maximize profits without teaching them about social responsibilities. Businesses should not be built for the sole purpose of promoting oneself. The externalities are not limited to what would happen to a company’s bottom line. Here is where a MBA fails. Every decision made by the company has to be verified according to the pros and cons of effects on the community as a whole. Sustainability and long term planning must be given pivotal importance. But when the students are taught that shareholder value is more important that the human value of the company; then short term pocket change takes priority. This endless promotion of unbridled greed is what has to stop. I am a student of economics and i am happy that i chose this subject. Because it taught me that the world doesn’t have to be this ugly. And that we can choose what we want to learn and understand. But an MBA limits ones knowledge. It does not give any possible avenues for growth. Thereby inhibiting the very thing an MBA graduate should have; leadership quality. A leader evolves according to the changing tides. But an MBA remains obstinate. If you are in the business of making leaders, then you should provide them the venue to grow and not restrict freedom of thought to books which teach greed. I believe leaders are born. But because we do not have the luxury to wait for greatness, we would rather stick to manufacturing it. But if you are manufacturing it, look at quality and not quantity. I am not saying that MBA as a program should be scrapped, but it has to evolve. Change and mold itself to deliver on its promise to churn out leaders. Times have changed and so should this institution.
Source:
http://econopolity.wordpress.com/2012/12/19/leadership-and-an-mba/