Participants weighed the impact of the global recession on business schools and careers in academia
INSEAD, the leading international business school, hosted a reunion event at the end of June to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its PhD programme. 30 INSEAD PhD alumni from around the world gathered on the school’s Fontainebleau campus for a full day of discussions on the topic of the changing role of business schools. The event marked 20 years since INSEAD’s PhD programme launched in1989 with its first class of five students.
Discussions focused on the impact the worldwide recession will have on business schools and the role a global academic career might play now and in the future. Panel discussions were led by former PhD students from three continents, including America, Europe and Asia. Following an opening address by INSEAD Dean J. Frank Brown and two complementary sessions by the PhD programme’s first director Ludo Van der Heyden and current Dean Christoph Loch, the day was filled with thought-provoking dialogue on some of the most pressing issues facing management education.
‘Our PhD programme is helping the next generation of leading business school faculty to develop and grow in a unique learning environment that is based upon helping them to understand, experience, connect and impact the world,’ said J. Frank Brown, Dean of INSEAD. ‘As we prepare to celebrate a half century of success for the school, we take great pride in this milestone and what the PhD programme has been able to accomplish over the past 20 years.’
Led by INSEAD Professor of Marketing Miklos Sarvary, the introductory panel, ‘Global Careers in Academia,’ was comprised of former INSEAD PhD programme graduates who currently serve as faculty members at leading business schools across Europe and Asia. Participants debated what the successful business faculty career will look like in 20 years and what geography will be in greatest demand.
In a global environment of increasing complexity and volatility, the panellists agreed that the business school industry is changing in several ways, including a clear demand from businesses for applicable and relevant insights and research. There was some debate, however, on the benefits of starting one’s business faculty career in the U.S. versus Europe and whether Asia has become the centre of gravity for the global industry. Panellists discussed the variations in b-school models and their focus on research, networks, idea sharing, culture and faculty guidelines.
‘The PhD anniversary celebration provided a unique opportunity to gather a diverse group of programme graduates who have become influential and respected academics,’ said Christoph Loch, Dean of the PhD Programme. ‘The current demands on management education have placed an even greater focus on training business faculty who will develop the leaders of the future. At INSEAD, we have a multi-lens view of the world and our PhD graduates are equipped to drive the research and teaching agendas at leading global business schools.’
A subsequent panel, ‘The Changing Role of Business Schools in a Global World,’ took a closer look at how the business school industry is changing and addressed the pace of growth at schools in Europe and Asia compared to their counterparts in the U.S. Moderated by PhD Programme Dean Christoph Loch, panellists emphasised the importance of finding the right balance between rigour and relevance in teaching. In today’s turbulent business climate, panellists agreed that it will be essential for business schools to focus on continued innovation in both their programmes and teaching methods.
Johanna Mair, Associate Professor of Strategic Management at IESE Business School, commented: ‘The future business school careers are going to be global. It should become a natural part of the profession as international management and multinational businesses demand innovative research and insights from business schools.’
Speakers included Luc Wathieu, Professor and Associate Dean of Faculty, ESMT, Germany; Yaozhong Wu, Assistant Professor, Department of Decision Sciences, National University of Singapore Business School; Bart Bronnenberg, Professor of Marketing, Tilburg University, The Netherlands; Johanna Mair, Associate Professor of Strategic Management, IESE Business School, Spain; Julie Battilana, Assistant Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School, U.S.; Marc Le Menestrel, Associate Professor at the Department of Economics and Business, University of Pompeu Fabra, Spain; Zhixing Xiao, Associate Professor of Management CEIBS, China; and Gabriel Szulanski, Professor of Strategy at INSEAD.
Following the reunion event, INSEAD held a graduation ceremony at Le Château de Fontainebleau for PhD participants from the 2009 class on 26 June.
INSEAD’s PhD in Management is designed to prepare outstanding individuals for an academic career at leading business schools. The PhD Programme has placed students at top schools in the USA, Europe, and Asia; this has also reinforced the research environment at INSEAD. Students specialise in one of six fields: Decision Sciences, Finance, Marketing, Organizational Behavior, Strategy, Technology and Operations Management.
Since September 2008, the programme has been fully integrated across INSEAD’s two campuses in Fontainebleau and Singapore, both in content and via world-class pedagogical infrastructure, in teaching. Students have the opportunity to study on both campuses and interact with faculty, companies and research sites in both locations.
For more information about INSEAD’s PhD Programme, please visit the PhD website.
