How are business schools reimagining the future of education and the workplace? Technology, innovation, entrepreneurial spirit, and efficiency dominate the agenda of business leaders worldwide. MBA programmes address these demands in various ways.
What challenges leadership thinking today?
Businesses, not-for-profits, and public organisations are looking for the best ways to integrate technology into their routines. More than ever, innovation, agility, and efficiency are approaches that help companies stay competitive or become trend-makers. For many years, this mindset has been a trademark of entrepreneurs or tech companies. But not anymore.
Nowadays, managers and business leaders are heading to MBA programmes expecting to gain the skills, mindset and tools for strategic leadership in the world of technology and unpredictable changes. Some MBA students come from a technical background but need the management skillset. Others bring an entrepreneurial spirit and innovation drive but need to grasp the technological and business perspectives. Ultimately, all strive to be well-rounded professionals prepared to navigate their organisations to growth and sustainability.
What is technology in business studies?
For decades, the classical MBA has been the gold standard in management and business leadership education. To stay ahead of the trends, business schools are constantly improving their curricula, teaching methods, and campus facilities.
The Covid pandemic put all these efforts in the spotlight, as many business schools were already on track and ahead of the dramatic boost for all education institutions to adapt to technology, innovate, and be agile.
MBA students experience technology in business school in several ways. Many MBA programmes offer elective courses or specialisations in technologies and digital transformation for business. On the other hand, business schools are integrating technology into teaching and student assessment.
One school to look at is Asia’s #1 in number of students, Japan’s Globis University. Yoshito Hori, Founder and President of Globis University, highlights in an interview for Access MBA the Technovate ™ stream of five elective courses in the full-time MBA programme. Technovate is a combination of technology and innovation training. In addition, the business school takes pride in several patents for AI in education. Hori highlights:
“We have a strong technology background, and over 200 engineers, investing in AI. We feel technology is and will change business education."
Innovation spirit in MBA training
“Yes, innovation can be taught,” says Yoshito Hori, despite the common belief that entrepreneurship and innovation spirit are personal traits.
“We are finding out that we need a strong entrepreneurship spirit to move things forward or create them from scratch. So, we need to create an innovative spirit. So far, we have been quite successful in educating leaders, creating new industries, and disseminating knowledge as required to innovate societies.”
Globis has created an ecosystem and a stimulating learning environment for MBA students, comprising a business school, venture capital, and publishing companies. This ecosystem is focused on people, capital and knowledge.
English MBA in Japan and worldwide
An HBS MBA graduate himself, Yoshito Hori founded Globis 30+ years ago as a start-up focusing on the Harvard Business School (US) case method. Today, the start-up has grown to be a highly reputable graduate school of management with full-time, part-time, online, nano- and pre-MBA programmes in Tokyo and worldwide.
As a venture capitalist, Hori knows that technologies will change the business world champions. He knows that if his business school can leverage technologies, it can become the #1 in the world in what Hori calls the Technovate, Technology & Innovation, era.
A visionary, entrepreneur and philanthropist with an MBA degree, Yoshito Hori and the Globis team are reimagining technology-based education in a technology-driven world.
However, education and leadership are about people. Hori believes that we need soft skills whenever we work with people to motivate, energise, direct, build rapport and maintain a good emotional attachment. We use technology to communicate. We must learn to use technology well. We may also call these human skills or Technovate skills.
Globis University is just one trailblazing business school among many that walk the talk about digital transformation in education. A growing number of MBA programmes empower students with a strategic perspective and future-proof skillset for growing agile and sustainable organisations in a world driven by technological advancement.
About the author
Iliana Bobova is a seasoned international education and career coach, and a former Executive MBA recruiter and admissions officer. Since 2010, she has been advising and coaching prospective MBA and Master’s students globally at Masters, MBA, and EMBA events, as well as on Advent Group’s online event and school selection platforms. Additionally, she has served as the Chief Editor of the annual Access Masters, MBA & EMBA Guide for over a decade.
Iliana has acquired extensive professional expertise through training at institutions such as Harvard University, the International Association of International Education (EAIE), the Institute of International Education (IIE), NAFSA: Association of International Educators, Global Career Development Facilitator (GCDF), and Randstad RiseSmart, among others. Her academic background includes HR Management & Development, Social Pedagogy, English Language, Literature, and Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL).
