Rethinking the MBA

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Introduction

A Degree in Transition

IN 2008, Harvard Business School (HBS) celebrated its 100th anniversary. It was an occasion for celebrating past achievements, but also an opportunity to reflect on the challenges facing all business schools in a rapidly changing environment. MBA programs, in particular, were the subject of growing scrutiny as they wrestled with questions of how to prepare students for increasingly complex organizations and careers. These new demands would require MBA programs to take a broader view of their graduates’ responsibilities to multiple stakeholders, and to provide their students with a deeper understanding of such phenomena as globalization, leadership, and innovation, as well as the ability to think critically, ...