Can MBA teach 'hunch' and 'inspiration'?

[Apurv]

Midway into her B-schooling now, Gauri Juneja asks herself questions that make her consider starting afresh all over again in her MBA endeavours, but this time with a better sense of bearings.

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[tehcalvin]

But this is where the difference lies in, say, a software designer and the software operator. The rules taught the poor sods what to do when presented with those precise circumstances sometime in their career. But what the rules were silent on was how to go about effecting the light-bulb moment that wrote those same rules.

I liked what's said in this part. Great way of presenting what you wanted to convey.

If you're reading this, please say a prayer that I make it to a good school to pursue another MBA from scratch. Amen.

Amen.

P.S. (To the author) Is this one of the factors behind your desire to move to a 'better' school?

[DesiGuru]

Hey Gauri!

That is a beautiful article
I think more important than what you study at Bschool is the brand name and the student quality and ofcourse quality of Professors and then other things...
The most important things that you might learn to be successful will never be from the course... That much is a given... But it helps if you are around smarter people in general and also the brand name which makes other people listen to your words more carefully...

So though the essential things needed are never learned in Bschool it still pays to strive for a better school or not do it at all

Best of Luck for your endeavours

K

[gauri227]

@tehcalvin
yup one of the major driving forces for the change i'm hoping to make w.r.t. to my education is definitely so i can end up at a place that doesn't follow kotler or anything else to the letter and allows for creativity. while the process is important to ingrain discipline in students (which is very important as professionals)....i don't think the process should be allowed to overshadow healthy curiosity, perhaps some irreverence even cuz no rules in any management books remain relevant forever. so it's important that students understand that and stay ahead as change makers rather than having a purely reactive role as professionals.

@desiguru
thanks a lot. i think over and above the obvious things that contribute to a school's brand value, such as faculty, infrastructure, placements et al....a very important intangible is the school's attitude to teaching. strapping students into straitjackets is a sure fire way of ensuring their short-term relevance as professionals.

[miltond]

Gauri,

Had read this article on your blog a while ago. I thought you would have "deconstructed" your B-school theory more deeply. I'm curious to find out if it's just the process-centric pedagogy that forced you in the direction of your present decision.

Was expecting some of the answers to questions like these in the article.

[gauri227]

@miltond
hey, you caught me....yup that is an article from my blog's archives. it's one of the fundamental hassles i have with b-school education, which is why i thought it relevant to post on PG verbatim, without any updation, cuz the basic dissonance holds true even now and perhaps will for a long, long time, given the composite nature of the discipline.

having said that though, yeah you're right, it does bear further "deconstruction". will seek out the answers as best as i can....for my own sake also considering it's a decision i'll be taking soon too. so watch this space (or my blog)

and thank you for reading my stuff. made my day

[miltond]

Originally Posted by gauri227

@miltond
hey, you caught me....yup that is an article from my blog's archives. it's one of the fundamental hassles i have with b-school education, which is why i thought it relevant to post on PG verbatim, without any updation, cuz the basic dissonance holds true even now and perhaps will for a long, long time, given the composite nature of the discipline.

having said that though, yeah you're right, it does bear further "deconstruction". will seek out the answers as best as i can....for my own sake also considering it's a decision i'll be taking soon too. so watch this space (or my blog)

and thank you for reading my stuff. made my day

Waiting on further answers

[Mrs.Zong]

I feel any school and not just b-schools can only teach what is repeatable and reproducible under ordinary circumstances. Hunch and inspiration are the byproducts of not so ordinary thinking under not so ordinary circumstances which cannot be emulated in a b-school..

what a b-school can do however is put the stuents under not so ordinary situations and ask them to find a way out...
The summers can be utilised for this purpose...but these are certain issues which the academicians should think about.

what a b-school can at best do is encourage individuals...to be individuals.
what a b-school can do is help you enjoy the education it aims to impart.

If creativity and inspired thinking could be taught..there would be no value attached to it dontcha think..
Besides seriously if these things could be taught i m sure these schools would have absolutely ruined its meaning.

[thedragonreborn]

Originally Posted by Mrs.Zong

If creativity and inspired thinking could be taught..there would be no value attached to it dontcha think..
Besides seriously if these things could be taught i m sure these schools would have absolutely ruined its meaning.

In short, what a b-school can give you is the right sort of environment to hone those qualities. That is the purpose of an institution of learning.

There are schools which are known to breed entrepreneurs. And they are a breed that cant be bred at all. They are born with the gift. So how do the schools help? Just the way you pointed out.

Which brings us to the point under discussion of this thread. Is it really impossible to "teach" inspiration? No. But you can instill it all the same. The love for a subject, a cause can be imparted. That is just what good schools do. They create a craving in a student to keep pushing the boundaries. If it cant do that, then the school has not suceeded.

Hunch? Its just another term for instinct. Feeling from the gut. That is impossible to impart or make some one learn. What you CAN teach is a person to make calculated guesses. Experience gives you insight to work on "hunches". They even can build up a mathematical expression for it. Heard of hedging? Or The Company?

The point is these schools can at the best manage to make through professionals out of raw talent. People who have the vision, the big picture, need not go to these schools at all. Their school is life and the world themselves. Teacher too.

So what are we looking for?

cheers!!!

[gauri227]

@mrs. zong

the premise of my article is that a lot of b-schools, most actually, tend to put students thru a process, the same case studies, presentations, submissions et al, without perhaps once giving them space for lateral thought. the focus is entirely on going thru the motions without any real emphasis or attention on the value the students are truly gaining from it.

it is the process i have a problem with, cuz it compromises creative thinking. creative thinking can only be fostered if that space is made available, if they're allowed to question kotler's or porter's rationale for contending what they did, rather than force-feeding the students their theories as universal truths. cuz fact is, no theory, however applicable, doesn't remain relevant forever. and so it a must for that curiosity to be fostered, which seeks out newer better ways to solve the same problems. that is the only way they can ever be the true catalysts of change and improvement once they start working.

also, i'm not saying creativity can be "taught". of course not. but it can be fostered if you don't force the students' minds in one direction or another. similarly, hunches aren't "taught" either. but you can hone your senses to think in various directions and suss out what feels like a solid idea with practice.

essentially, soul-less same old reports/presentations which don't contend anything fresh do not a successful professional make. and an environment that refuses to foster anything more evolved aka a lot of indian b-schools is what i have a problem with and am questioning.

Phew...looong post. cheers!!