The Importance Of The Right MBA

Increasing globalisation, shifts in the political and economic environments and competitive pressures have led to fundamental changes in how businesses are conducted, organisations are managed, and how professionals operate.  
 
In light of these increased complexities, many are choosing to take up an MBA programme to ensure that they are sufficiently prepared for ever-changing business landscapes. With hundreds of MBA programmes available, it is not easy to begin one’s search for the ‘perfect’ programme. To start off, we can explore what most MBA-seekers aspire to be — successful global business leaders — and what are their common attributes. A successful global leader is fully in command of the below four elements which will make him or her at ease to conduct business seamlessly anywhere in the world.

Relevant technical (hard) skills: All MBA programmes offers a suite of fundamentals to understand how business is structured and conducted, from sorting to analysing relevant data, forming hypothesis and recommendations, and to asking the right questions in any situation. The programme should offer up-to-date functional knowledge and hard skills to operate a business.

Global context: Business without borders has further led to a huge rise in employers seeking candidates with international experience and exposure and armed with critical knowledge of the local business environments and practices.  

At Insead, we have gone one step beyond with our innovative Business and Society core course which is targeted to fully prepare our participants to address pressing global issues by covering three main issues affecting the international environment — ethics, political environment and public policy.  

Soft skills: The curriculum should also offer the right platform to help you boost your interpersonal competencies or ‘soft skills’ required for people connection and management, interaction, teamwork and effective communication.  
 
Cultural awareness: With globalisation, cultural borders have faded with the adoption of technology and the increase in diversity in workplaces. This means that in order to be successful, one has to go beyond your own cultural perspective and learn how businesses are conducted across different cultures in the global arena. At Insead, our accelerated 10-month programme is also known for being the most diverse classroom in the world. With three campuses spanning three continents and with more than 80 nationalities enrolled in our programme each year, participants can immerse themselves in real issues and practise problem-solving across multicultural settings. In addition, Insead’s language policy means that one will need to master two languages and be conversational in a third language in order to graduate. What better way is there to learn about other cultures than to learn through its languages?

Development of an emotionally intelligent global business leader: In short, while many MBA programmes offer similar hard (technical) courses that can help one become a good business leader, not many can offer all four elements above to help you evolve into a successful and emotionally intelligent global business leader.

While undertaking an MBA programme would certainly help one navigate with more confidence amidst increased uncertainties — choosing the right programme will make all the difference in your personal and professional journey. One is advised to research meticulously, especially since an MBA is a hefty investment in both time and money, to find the right programme that will best help you achieve your life goals.