We have written previously about the business school trend of teaching entrepreneurial thinking, and wanted to touch on a related trend in this post. That trend: interdisciplinary collaboration.
Silicon Valley is awash in a vast array of startups, and employers increasingly demand that managers have an awareness of technology that powers their businesses. To meet this need, business schools are increasingly investing in cross-disciplinary innovation programs that bring together students from technical and business backgrounds.
HBS has invested heavily in the i-Lab, Launch Lab, and Life Lab, all interdisciplinary incubation spaces designed to bring people together from across different schools in the university. MIT’s Martin Trust Center for Entrepreneurship is open to all undergraduate and graduate students from any department across campus. Kellogg has The Garage, and Booth has the Polsky Center.
All of these efforts are intended to equip the leaders of tomorrow with skills they need, and to give them insight into the technology they will be managing. Managing engineers and technical employees has become a tremendous need for companies, and many engineers (understandably) are happier working with and for managers who have a deep understanding of the technology they build.
A dean of academic affairs at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business stated in 2017 that future executives will need a combination of technical expertise and leadership skills. Graduates who can envision the potential of an innovation and execute on bringing it to market will be at a distinct advantage going into the workforce, especially in tech related fields. At Stanford GSB more than 80% of MBAs elect to take courses offered by other departments, such as the School of Engineering.
As you consider how an MBA fits into your own career path, keep in mind potential future positions or industries you would like to enter. Will they require an understanding of technology? Will they require that you have experience managing engineers?
These are important questions to keep in mind as you consider which schools give you the best opportunity to work with people from different backgrounds, and which schools will allow you to take cross-disciplinary courses.
If you need some help thinking through your application strategy, or deciding on which schools are the best fit for your future career goals, please feel free to reach out to us at Info@TranscendAdmissions.com to chat.