Karim Medjad, associate professor , Business Law and Taxation, HEC

Traditional ways of doing business are passé and are coming under the scanner increasingly. Responding to this problem HEC, Paris is offering a new "Alternative Management" major to its business school students in the M Sc program that aspires to displace current dominant ways of conducting business with practical alternatives.

Aarti Kothari talks to Karim Medjad, associate professor, Business Law and Taxation, HEC and discovers how exactly this course aims to "train reformers."

1. How is Alternative Management (AM) different from General
Management (GM)?

It differs from mainstream management in the sense that it takes into account alternative ways of doing things (whether historically or in other countries) and picks the most appropriate methods irrespective of current management fashions.

2. "Alternative management questions classic management theories, giving greater attention to social, ethical and environmental concerns." Is AM contrary to GM or is it a variation of GM?

It is not against. It is a variation intending to be a step ahead. Bear in mind that today's mainstream management was yesterday's revolutionary management. We are just trying to identify tomorrow's best practices.

3. How is AM being integrated with the HEC MSc programme? Is it just one subject in an entire programme or is it the programme itself?

It is an entire program. We are talking about a last year specialization at the M Sc (full time specialization) that partially overlaps with the MBA because MBA students can enroll in the course as an elective.

4. The HEC note on AM said: "We are trying to shed new light on current management techniques and to explore practical alternatives to the current dominant model." What is the need for doing this?

We are convinced that we are currently on the verge of major changes in the industry, comparable to what the world witnessed during the 70's.

5. In your opinion, what would be the top 2 or 3 aspects of current management techniques which need to be looked at in a fresh light?

1) Employee participation,
2) Supply chain management
3) Employee diversity

6. Will the method of learning be different for AM from other courses? How?

Yes, in the following ways:

Theory more theoretical (e.g. an important dose of history)
Practice more practical (e.g. each student has a field project to conduct. So it is really learning by doing.

7. Is there any particular profile of students this course is more suitable to? If yes, what?

Entrepreneurs interested in doing things differently are our most logical target, but we are also interested in recruiting students who want to change things from within the traditional firm.

8. Finally, could students studying AM face a difficult time during placements by virtue of studying a course that basically questions the way recruiters having been doing business so far?

We are convinced that there is currently a demand for students that think differently, precisely because a large part of the business world shares our intuition that we are about to experience major social and economic changes.