OzMan
May 9th, 2007, 01:39 AM
Seemed like the best place to post this. Just goes to show what I have said, people with MBAs, who go around spewing about how good they are at business, need to be taken down a peg or two......
Survey: M.B.A.s Don't Prepare Managers for Real-Life
Challenges
by Andrea Coombes
MarketWatch
An M.B.A. provides the strong general education that
an executive needs but it doesn't teach the skills
needed in the day-to-day operation of a business,
according to a survey of international executives.
Only 20 percent of the executives surveyed said that
an M.B.A. prepares people to deal with the real-life
challenges that a manager must face, according to the
survey of 133 top executives at firms in the United
States, United Kingdom, France, and Germany by Egon
Zehnder International, an executive search firm. Among
the executives surveyed, 40 percent hold an M.B.A.
themselves.
What's the message for job seekers?
"Don't think an M.B.A. alone is a ticket to the
executive suite," said George Davis, a U.S.
co-managing partner with Egon Zehnder International.
Davis is based in Boston.
Job seekers need both "functional experience and
managerial experience, including managing people and
projects," Davis said. "You get [graduates] out of
leading institutions, they think they can walk right
in and know how to do it"--but that's not always the
case, he said.
An M.B.A. is "a launching pad. It's a necessary
prerequisite, but it does not give you [the means to
handle] all the experiences that managers face today,"
Davis said.
Only 14 percent of U.S. executives, 14 percent of
British executives, and 15 percent of French
executives agreed with the statement that "during an
M.B.A., you are trained to deal with the real
challenges faced by a manager (e.g., handle crisis,
act politically, communicate)."
Still, 36 percent of German executives agreed with
that statement.
M.B.A.s are not the panacea
"M.B.A.s are valued highly, but it's not the panacea.
Get real work. Get real expertise," Davis said. "Make
sure you have a functional skill set."
Meanwhile, 24 percent of U.S. executives agreed that
"an M.B.A. provides excellent and adequate preparation
for a leadership position," while 29 percent of the
British executives, 54 percent of the French
executives, and 45 percent of the German executives
agreed with that statement. The survey instructed
respondents to consider an M.B.A. from a renowned
institution, such as Harvard.
On a related question, 74 percent of the executives
overall agreed with the statement that "if all you
know about is business, then you know nothing about
business either."
When asked to point to activities best suited to
avoiding tunnel vision in business, "talking to
interesting people," "my family life," and "reading"
were among the top methods, the executives said.
While about 20 percent of the executives from the
United Kingdom, France, and Germany agreed that
"deliberately letting myself drift" is an important
way to avoid tunnel vision, just 6 percent of U.S.
executives pointed to that as a strategy.
While the survey's sample size is small, in-person
interviews were conducted with each of the top
executives or directors, and all work at leading,
Fortune 500-type firms in their respective countries,
Davis said.
The survey also offers a message to managers who make
hiring decisions, Davis said. "Don't let an M.B.A."
determine your hiring selection, he said.
The survey also found that U.S. universities and
colleges are more highly regarded than schools in
other countries, with 73 percent of U.S. executives,
69 percent of French executives, 55 percent of German
executives, and 39 percent of British executives
pointing to the U.S. as the ideal place to educate
college-aged students.
Ethics are highly valued
When asked to assess executives based on
characteristics other than their professional
qualifications, 97 percent of U.S. executives, 86
percent of U.K. executives, 85 percent of German
executives, and 69 percent of French executives said
ethical behavior was extremely or very important.
For the U.S. and U.K. executives, ethical behavior
topped the list of key attributes for an executive.
But personal charisma topped that list for German and
French executives, with 95 percent of German
executives and 100 percent of French executives noting
that charisma is an extremely important characteristic
for an executive.
Survey: M.B.A.s Don't Prepare Managers for Real-Life
Challenges
by Andrea Coombes
MarketWatch
An M.B.A. provides the strong general education that
an executive needs but it doesn't teach the skills
needed in the day-to-day operation of a business,
according to a survey of international executives.
Only 20 percent of the executives surveyed said that
an M.B.A. prepares people to deal with the real-life
challenges that a manager must face, according to the
survey of 133 top executives at firms in the United
States, United Kingdom, France, and Germany by Egon
Zehnder International, an executive search firm. Among
the executives surveyed, 40 percent hold an M.B.A.
themselves.
What's the message for job seekers?
"Don't think an M.B.A. alone is a ticket to the
executive suite," said George Davis, a U.S.
co-managing partner with Egon Zehnder International.
Davis is based in Boston.
Job seekers need both "functional experience and
managerial experience, including managing people and
projects," Davis said. "You get [graduates] out of
leading institutions, they think they can walk right
in and know how to do it"--but that's not always the
case, he said.
An M.B.A. is "a launching pad. It's a necessary
prerequisite, but it does not give you [the means to
handle] all the experiences that managers face today,"
Davis said.
Only 14 percent of U.S. executives, 14 percent of
British executives, and 15 percent of French
executives agreed with the statement that "during an
M.B.A., you are trained to deal with the real
challenges faced by a manager (e.g., handle crisis,
act politically, communicate)."
Still, 36 percent of German executives agreed with
that statement.
M.B.A.s are not the panacea
"M.B.A.s are valued highly, but it's not the panacea.
Get real work. Get real expertise," Davis said. "Make
sure you have a functional skill set."
Meanwhile, 24 percent of U.S. executives agreed that
"an M.B.A. provides excellent and adequate preparation
for a leadership position," while 29 percent of the
British executives, 54 percent of the French
executives, and 45 percent of the German executives
agreed with that statement. The survey instructed
respondents to consider an M.B.A. from a renowned
institution, such as Harvard.
On a related question, 74 percent of the executives
overall agreed with the statement that "if all you
know about is business, then you know nothing about
business either."
When asked to point to activities best suited to
avoiding tunnel vision in business, "talking to
interesting people," "my family life," and "reading"
were among the top methods, the executives said.
While about 20 percent of the executives from the
United Kingdom, France, and Germany agreed that
"deliberately letting myself drift" is an important
way to avoid tunnel vision, just 6 percent of U.S.
executives pointed to that as a strategy.
While the survey's sample size is small, in-person
interviews were conducted with each of the top
executives or directors, and all work at leading,
Fortune 500-type firms in their respective countries,
Davis said.
The survey also offers a message to managers who make
hiring decisions, Davis said. "Don't let an M.B.A."
determine your hiring selection, he said.
The survey also found that U.S. universities and
colleges are more highly regarded than schools in
other countries, with 73 percent of U.S. executives,
69 percent of French executives, 55 percent of German
executives, and 39 percent of British executives
pointing to the U.S. as the ideal place to educate
college-aged students.
Ethics are highly valued
When asked to assess executives based on
characteristics other than their professional
qualifications, 97 percent of U.S. executives, 86
percent of U.K. executives, 85 percent of German
executives, and 69 percent of French executives said
ethical behavior was extremely or very important.
For the U.S. and U.K. executives, ethical behavior
topped the list of key attributes for an executive.
But personal charisma topped that list for German and
French executives, with 95 percent of German
executives and 100 percent of French executives noting
that charisma is an extremely important characteristic
for an executive.