The Ivory Tower
Higher education has been linked through the centuries to an almost mystical image of the Ivory Tower. As early as 60 BC, Lucretius, in De rerum natura (On the Nature of Things), wrote, "But this is the greatest joy of all: to stand aloof in a quiet citadel, stoutly fortified by the teaching of the wise." Over the years, definitions of the Ivory Tower have evolved in mixing the beauty of seclusion with a more negative image of something aloof, out of touch with reality. Susan Holten cites the current Webster definition as a “secluded place that affords the means of treating practical issues with an impractical often escapist attitude; especially: a place of learning.” What issues in management education today are forcing higher education to reconsider the solace of their quiet citadel?
One issue arises from the changing composition of the workforce. Peter Drucker reminds us that fifty years ago factory workers had become the largest single section of the European workforce. The fast-growing group today is "information workers" — whose jobs require education that differs from traditional curriculum in both content and scope.[1] Information workers have two main needs: formal education that enables them to work place, and continuous management education to keep their knowledge up to date. Management education is largely delivered outside of the traditional classroom, in weekend seminars and online training programmes, from traditional universities and from a number of providers through electronic media.
A second issue has arisen from the changing attitudes of government; the traditional sponsors of the university. The changing demands of the industry and commerce have provoked pressures to reform higher education. In Europe, the Bologna Accord, originally signed in June 1999, seeks to harmonise 40 different European higher education systems by creating a single system of degrees within an agreed framework using a consistent evaluation system. A major objective of this European initiative it to stimulate choice for a European pool of over 2.4 million Bachelor graduates each year. The GMAC believes that the Bologna Accord will create more than 12,000 Master degree programmes in the field of graduate management education alone.[2] As a result, higher education is becoming an ever increasing competitive environment.
A third issue involves the evolution of the offer of management education. Private training companies, coaches and consultants, and editors have become new entrants in the higher education market, competing for students and funding. Over 400 corporate universities have been created over the last two decades by clients themselves who feel that they can do a better job of designing and delivering curriculum tailored to the needs of their managers. Educational institutions, faced with reduced levels of traditional funding, have also begun to develop alternative revenue streams and create partnerships with businesses to survive. Gordon Thompson found that corporate funds have become increasingly important to traditional universities, consisting of more than 20% of the voluntary support for higher education.[3] Business schools and universities have also begun to innovate in their management education offerings; open, customized, and certificate programmes have constituted taken larger percentages of the institution’s attention and resources.
All of these trends have put pressure upon educational institutions to realign their conceptions of management education with market needs. These pressures have resulted in a series of issues that each institution has been forced to address. What is the goal of management education: to provide placements, placements and education, education and placement, or education and employability? Who should deliver management education: coaches and consultants, the business school or the university, business schools and universities working together, or the corporations themselves? Finally, what role can learning technologies play in helping understand market needs, fostering the development of content, facilitating interactions between students and faculty, and in enhancing the value proposition of management education?
[1] Peter Drucker, “Knowledge workers are the new capitalists”
[2] “The BolognaAccord: A European Revolution with Global Implications,” January-February 2005, found at www.gmac.com/gmac/VirtualLibrary/Publications/GMNews/2005/JanFeb/BolognaAccord.htm?Page=4
[3] Gordon Tompson’s estimate concerns institutions based in the US. G. Thompson, 2000. “Unfulfilled prophecy: The evolution of corporate colleges.” The Journal of Higher Education, 71(3), 322-341
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