MBA Students and Programs

Organizations throughout the world have come to rely on MBA programs to prepare people to perform important leadership roles.  In fact, in many organizations today, an MBA degree is a requirement for anyone wishing to be considered for upper management. 

MBA programs would do well to teach the business matching process as part of their leadership development programs, for three reasons.  First, all organizational leaders need to understand (and be able to identify) the four basic market environments and the four basic organizational types and cultures.  Upper-level managers in particular need this skill, for they will be directing the development of strategy, leading the implementation of plans and operational changes, and spearheading the redesign of their organizations' operations and cultures. 

Second, every future leader must learn to navigate the rough seas of organizational politics.  The business matching process is a useful way to understand the basic political rules that govern each of the organizational archetypes. 

Third, an MBA student considering a career in a particular organization can use the business matching process as a tool to examine what that organization does and what kind of leadership role they might eventually be able to play in it.  They can, of course, also do the same for entire industries, fields, and professions.

As they use the business matching process, an MBA student needs to:

1. Become familiar with the basic business matching concepts and use them with real or imaginary organizations.  These concepts will provide a new framework for understanding the issues of managing change, and will become useful additions to their repertoire of strategic planning and organizational development skills.
2. Develop a clear sense of their own strengths, leadership style, and talents for working in each organizational archetype - and for leading people from one archetype to another.  This self-knowledge will help them focus their energies on those organizations and fields for which they are best suited.  This, in turn, will help them avoid any dead ends and give them a leg up in ascending any organizational ladder.
3. Use the business matching process to examine organizations where they currently work, or are considering working - especially if they want to become leaders. 

As they use the business matching process, MBA students need to avoid or address these pitfalls:

MBA programs' limited focus on organizational issues
Typically, what little is taught about organizational concerns focuses mainly on managing change.  Even then, this usually means simply getting the organization to comply with the pre-determined judgments and strategies of top management, and/or minimizing the effects of downsizing.

Students' tendency to pick potential employers based on P/E ratios, stock prices, and other measurements that seem to promise stock options and large payoffs for top management
MBA programs provide students with many tools for measuring value and profitability.  None of these, however, tell students a thing about what it will actually be like to work for a particular organization.

The prevailing (but incorrect) view that a good manager can be a leader in almost any situation
Certainly there are some generic leadership skills that can be learned and applied to a wide variety of situations.  But it is wishful thinking to believe in an all-encompassing leadership genius that works at all times in all organizations and situations.

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Implications for Business LeadersBeginning the Journey When your organization and its market are in proper alignment, there is a palpable feeling of rightness that flows through the entire system. Read More Coaches and Consultants The business matching process can provide consultants, coaches, and managers with a shared language, a collective vision, and a common format for discovery.  When I introduce the business matching process in my own consulting work, I have found that a clear mutual understanding quickly develops.  In addition, the models and language of the business matching process naturally stimulate the exploration of options for organizational designs, cultures, and operations.  Furthermore, the concepts of business matching provide an easily-accessible model for making decisions and planning strategy.  The business matching process also creates a framework for providing feedback to managers on their leadership skills. Read More MBA Students and Programs Organizations throughout the world have come to rely on MBA programs to prepare people to perform important leadership roles.  In fact, in many organizations today, an MBA degree is a requirement for anyone wishing to be considered for upper management.  Read More Staff Managers Staff managers develop and operate the processes that support the core activity of an organization.  These processes include finance, human resources, information systems, logistics, purchasing, marketing, communications, and so on.  Collectively, these processes form an organization's infrastructure. Read More Middle Managers Middle managers see to it that the work required by a business strategy actually gets done.  They establish the mechanisms that integrate resources and develop the processes that do the work effectively and efficiently.  They are also in charge of ensuring that people and resources get mobilized in the right ways at the right times. Read More CEOs The CEO of an organization is responsible for its growth and development. They lead the strategic planning process and make sure that the resources needed to carry out any strategy are provided. Read More