Interview: The MBA and Beyond

These days, an MBA is perceived as a vital qualification for advancing one’s career; but apart from a significant entry on a CV, what is the role of the modern MBA? What training can a modern MBA offer and what skills beyond this degree are key to success in the future workplace? To get answers to these questions, we spoke to Andy Bayley, the Programme Director for Loughborough University’s Part-Time MBA programme. Prior to taking up his role with Loughborough, Andy worked for 30 years at a prestigious aerospace firm; he keeps his fingers on the pulse of modern industry. We began by asking:

What are the main things an MBA can teach you which will increase your employability?

“An MBA is a different kind of qualification: MBA students usually have some form of work experience. Indeed, to go straight from an undergraduate programme to an MBA wouldn’t make any sense. Within the programme, there is a great amount of knowledge transfer: people of different backgrounds come together to share their experiences with colleagues.

“Given this, I find that students learn just as much, if not more, from each other than from the lectures. This sharing of experience and knowledge fits with current trends in the workplace: there is a move toward democratisation with national boundaries no longer a limitation to collaboration. How do you manage in that new environment? To practice these skills in a safe space, like an MBA programme, is extremely powerful.

“Additionally, I’m a big fan of the application of knowledge. Most people who have taken an MBA have a level of education behind them which means they have absorbed a lot of material. MBA programmes provide an opportunity to help you to apply what you know.”

What are the main things that an MBA leaves out?

“If you look at the way the world is going, and the amount of change (driven mainly by technology) that people are trying to cope with, the traditional approach to ring fencing subjects and treating them as separate entities does not reflect the realities of the workplace. Also subject knowledge alone does not necessarily guarantee success It also requires specific personal skills and individual character as well.

"You will not find many references to creative thinking in MBA brochures...yet being able to apply creativity is in your interest..."

“For instance, you will not find many references to creative thinking in MBA brochures. Yet being able to apply creativity in say problem solving is in your interest and can give you a number of different potential solution you wouldn’t have thought of originally.

“For example, at Loughborough, we have used a design thinking process on our MBA to encourage the students to think creatively. The use of this process, a proven method for problem solving, was originally encouraged by Britain’s Design Council and has become increasingly popular in the business world. We tend to think of design and creativity as being artistic disciplines when they have much wider applications within the business environment.

“Other key skills include such things as critical thinking, information design, communication, collaboration, team working, problem solving to name but a few. Whilst all are touched on in various courses not all are necessarily given equal billing. Even with these skills it then requires individual character to be able to utilise them, resilience, courage, leadership, ethics, mindfulness, emotional intelligence and curiosity are some of the traits that people require in the modern workplace.

"Reflection is a fundamental personal survival skill within a challenging and constantly changing environment."

“Finally, and most importantly, reflection is a fundamental personal survival skill within a challenging and constantly changing environment. The ability to stop and think why things might not be working and have the resilience and courage to try a different approach is essential. Whilst we talk about reflection and encourage it for personal learning I am not convinced we focus on it with enough rigour.“

How important is creativity in the modern workplace – both academic and otherwise?

“We tend to package things into convenient areas. If you merely mention ‘creativity’ at a typical business school, people would point you towards the arts department. It’s a terrible shame: creativity can be a key differentiator in a number of ways whether that be coming up with novel solutions to business problems, identifying brand new products and / or business services or even in the way we choose to communicate between ourselves.

“I am a big fan of students being more creative in their handling of ordinary tasks. Take the composition of a typical business report: how many employees have thought about information design? How many have thought about the ability to communicate, through written or verbal channels as a personal differentiator? Unfortunately, people misunderstand the link between information and communication- I think the famous quote which goes something like – ‘information is giving out, communication is getting through’ sums it up rather well.

“Within the workplace, creativity and innovation are perhaps the remaining bastions of human interaction with digital technologies. Having all of the information to hand is one thing how you chose to deal with it empathetically and apply it innovatively still relies upon our input.”

How does one prove creativity either via a CV and or an interview?

“We should ask ourselves: 'is the traditional CV sufficient in today’s world?' If personal skills and character are becoming equivalent in importance to knowledge, we should consider that traditional CVs don’t help employers differentiate these traits when viewing potential candidates’ CV’s. This is one reason why E-Portfolios are becoming more popular. They provide mechanisms of capturing and displaying personal learning experiences in a number of different ways such as short video clips, reflective diaries, evidence from personal experiences and education certificates, digital links to important material as well as traditional material such as letters from referees.

“They can also be an advantage in interviews where individual job specific competencies are identified and giving examples of possessing these competencies is expected from candidates. Because the e-portfolio encourages the continual collection and synthesis of such evidence the process of playing that back becomes so much easier. Maybe the ability to provide a creative CV that stands apart from all of the others is in its own right a good example of the creative thinking process!

“As for the interview: part of the responsibility lies with the interviewers. They need to be prepared to go off script to find what is truly important to them. This is more difficult than it sounds: interviews rightly have a standard framework to allow employers to fairly compare people, but this can be too constraining. The more a jobseeker is pushed out of the comfort zone, the better chance you stand as an interviewer in seeing what the true person is like. Equally those candidates that can “think on their feet” by reflecting, remaining calm and being creative in expressing themselves will, in turn, stand out from the crowd.

What other skills would you say the employees of the future are going to need?

“At medical schools, doctors have always been made aware of the ‘half-life’ of what they are being taught. They’re informed that the knowledge they’re receiving is likely to change or even be discounted in the future. Reflection and life-long learning is therefore a necessity in this profession to keep up with latest developments and maintain professional standards.

"Because of the rate of change within our work environment...everyone will be facing some form of game changing developments which they must come to terms with."

“Because of the rate of change within our work environment, driven in particular by digital technologies, everyone will be facing some form of game changing developments which they must come to terms with. For example, you can find no end of articles about how artificial Intelligence and cognitive computing might impact on careers and jobs. The traditional idea of a career and specific jobs is under threat.

“Jobseekers should remember that whatever role they have now technology will play some part and the “half-life” of what we know and do now will result in changes in our roles in the future. Employees should ask themselves, ‘how can I as an individual adapt?’ This requires constant reflection to understand what is happening around you, a healthy curiosity to understand new developments and technologies and a willingness to continually learn. Life Long Learning has become a bit of a buzz word but in truth it really is an essential part of surviving in today’s environment.

“Because of this, it’s incorrect to think about careers or ‘jobs’ per se. I don’t advise getting too hung up on a title. Rather, break down any role into skills one might need and devise the best way to hone those skills. That doesn’t mean continuing to apply for jobs in the same industries. For example, if someone wants to develop their project management skills and gain international experience, it’s possible to do that via charity work abroad. Think about the specific skill not the job and use some of that creative thinking to come up with alternative ways of developing that skill. This can mean you gain that all important experience even if your initial route is closed or unavailable and it can have the added impact of impressing future employers.

“If I were to boil it down to a few bullet points, I’d say that employees of the future should keep in mind that:

• Flexibility is essential
• Curiosity is vital
• Don’t just accept things have changed: understand why they have changed
• Reflect on where you are now and ask yourself, “what do I need to do to survive and prosper, what other skills might I need to continue to progress in my career"
• Remain open to continual learning opportunities and the opportunity to gather new skills
• You need to be able to function and remain calm in this changing, potentially stressful, environment. How you individually cope with that stress is a very personal thing but do not ignore it and do not discount things such as ‘mindfulness’ or meditation. Whatever gives you an ability to clear your mind of stress and allows you to stop and think clearly is just as important a skill as any other in your tool box but unfortunately is not one that tends to be on the syllabus of many establishments."

What role will technology play in the future of employment, in your opinion?

“No one truly knows what future employment is going to be like. We can’t even predict politically or economically what’s going to happen in the next few years; the chances of second guessing changes in technology are even less. You can almost guarantee that someone will find a way to enhance technology even when it appears to be reaching a plateau.

“No one truly knows what future employment is going to be like. We can’t even predict politically or economically what’s going to happen in the next few years..."

“The so-called ‘Gig Economy’ implies people moving from role to role, reacting to and buffeted largely by technology. Administrative roles and back office processes of the past have been overtaken by technology and we now take that for granted. Manufacturing roles have long been affected by automation and robotics. The latest predictions extend this impact into what were considered “safe” professional areas such as the legal and financial sector. For example, thanks to machine learning and the sophistication of algorithms, the arrival of ‘RoboAdvisors’ in the financial services industry is already providing customers with an alternative to traditional face to face advice. Why shouldn’t I talk to a machine that has perfect knowledge of all the portfolios available? In that instance, it might be more efficient to work with a computer!

“Similarly, in the medical profession, computing is being focussed on the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Consider if you consult an oncologist how have they gained their experience and knowledge? It’s probably based on individual cases the specialist has seen, teaching they have received, and research they may have carried out. If there is a machine that’s capable of looking through 100,000 cases, test results, and treatments and uses analytical algorithms to provide a considered diagnosis then one may get better treatment advice based on a lot more “experience”. The real issue is the need for human interpretation of both the information and the patient’s personal circumstances to provide empathetic treatment and advice.

Any words of advice for researchers graduating this year who are looking for a job?

“I go back to base principles: forget about the word ‘job’ – it tends to constrict and focus your thinking, when instead what you ought to do is ask: what am I good at? And: what do I want to develop?

“From a development perspective, ask yourself: what could I do to develop my skills? If you manage to find such a route then how can you collect and present that back to future employers (that means collecting information real time and not relying upon memories of things that happened a few years ago!) Could the e-Portfolio be useful for this and help you develop and showcase your personal differentiators? Don’t remain mired in traditional thinking: you can’t afford to, given the way world is going.

“When he finished school, my son had enough of education: spending money on gaining a degree would have been a complete waste of time, energy and resource. He thought he might as well go out earn some money to allow him to experience and try different things. He was able to find out what he didn’t like doing which is just as important as finding what you do want to do! Consequently, he was able to focus on those things that were important to him and how he might develop them. (Yes, he did end up taking a degree but most importantly because he wanted to and he knew what he wanted to do with it.)

“Finally, I’d say life is very short: make the most of it. Despite the challenges I’ve described, there is more opportunity now to do the things you want than ever before if you merely have the courage. Even if you don’t think you have the skills have a go. You may surprise yourself.”

Thank you for your time.

How can an MBA enhance your career?

• MBA programmes provide an opportunity to apply knowledge gained in the workplace in a safe environment.
• A good MBA programme will emphasise important skills like creativity and reflection.
• It has the potential to widen your perspective on the future of your chosen profession.

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