Leadership, Change Management, and Entrepreneurship focus

Figure out where you wish to apply
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Dear members,

I am a propective candidate wishing to pursue MBA in the areas aforementioned. However, I am not able to identify the best schools for such learning opportunities, because many schools mention these as a part their curriculum.

The information on schools, which have similar focus in terms of their faculty, societies, clubs, courseware, alumni base, networking opportunities and post MBA work opportunities, is not easily available to me or I am not looking where I've to look. Therefore, I am asking for the help of community members to help me with such a list.

Thanks,
goddy
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by essaysnark » Fri Jul 09, 2010 2:36 pm
EssaySnark says, you're right: all bschools (try to) teach leadership across all disciplines and specialties offered; it's a core component of most any MBA program. In fact, this is such an important element that the adcoms look for evidence of leadership in your past career, to make sure that you're already geared in this direction. But there's no such thing as an MBA in "leadership", not the same way as there is in, say, finance.... or entrpreneurship.

In fact, in your list of attributes, entrepreneurship is really the only one that's a discipline unto itself within most MBA programs.

Generally -- and this is a gross oversimplification -- "change management" is for bigger organizations, not startups. When EssaySnark reads "change management" and "entrepreneurship" together, our brain freezes up. Does not compute. Startups are about controlled chaos; all they are is change, and it's usually not managed at all! The leaders of an entrepreneurial org are usually just trying to keep the thing from flying apart, not worrying about how to "manage change." Change management is for big grown-up companies. It's how you help the organization deal with a downsizing, or a merger, that sort of thing. It's not irrelevant for entrepreneurs, but it's usually something that a mature organization grapples with. And, it's usually part of an organizational behavior curriculum -- which again is offered by many bschools as part of their core.

It's hard for EssaySnark to tease out from this list of three things what you want to DO. The best way to figure out what school is a good match for you is to start with your career goals. What job do you want to get when you graduate? Are you going to start your own company? Great, then focus on schools with strong entrepreneurship programs. All schools have entrepreneurship tracks. Schools that are known to be pretty darn good at the entrepreneurship stuff include a wide range from Stanford, MIT, UT-Austin, UCLA, Columbia. Others too. Babson, a school many have never heard of, is often considered the very best entrepreneurship program around. But you can do entrepreneurship literally anywhere.

If you want to study entrepreneurship because you're really interested in venture capital, well, that's valid, but that's really a whole 'nother focus.

And to throw you out to left field: there are other specialized Master's programs (not MBA) that might fit you better. EssaySnark is specifically thinking of the NYU Master's in Industrial/Organizational Psychology. Check out the courses they have listed here: https://www.psych.nyu.edu/programs/ma/io.html -- these seem to dovetail with what you're searching for. Or maybe not, maybe EssaySnark is off base here. Point is, there's lots of ways to go from A to B... and even more ways if you don't know what B is.

So you need to really carve out what you want to do with your career, and use that as a way to figure out which schools or programs can help you get there. As you've already discovered, all the schools have all these things. What do you want to DO with them? Answer that, and you'll be further along to identifying your perfect fit.

Good luck with it!
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by goddy » Fri Jul 09, 2010 4:53 pm
Well I can start by appreciating the great effort and intensity with which you have replied. Really above my expectations. Thanks a lot.

I understand this critique that change management and entrepreneurship are similar to sugar and salt. But, that unlikely mix is what the derivation of my past. If anything is true in my behavior then it is that I do invent things to bring about the required change. I can prove my point, but that would mean saying everything about my life which I do not wish to disclose on a public forum at least for now.

That said, I am not arrogant in the way I wish to learn things in this B-School. The point is that even if these factors belong to two different worlds, I want the best of those worlds at one place. Is there such a place?

And as for What I want to DO? No point in answering that question, because it would not be the complete truth.
This is something I've to frame to get into a B-School, because one or two years of experience at such a place will change me and my outlook. That does not mean I am not focused about what I'll do, but it's future inferences we are talking about.

Rather than wasting your time with my philosophy, I should better tell you some facts so that you can help me.
I am an Indian IT professional, working overseas for a Banking client. I will acquire 3 years of industry experience shortly.
I am really interested to keep working in my domain, but with a business focus. I've few ideas in this field, and other fields too. The problem is that I do not have the edge in business network, which can help me mold these ideas into a business or at least provide great insights; do not have access to top business ideas and how they shape up in the ever changing concept of business; do not have cutting edge skills in finance and marketing. And Some more reasons I am not able to come up with right now.

A good business school will provide me all the above and solve the problem. But might not possibly push the limits of my distinguishing factors.

Awaiting your expert opinion.

Thanks,
goddy