EUROPEAN BUSINESS SCHOOLS AND GLOBALIZATION
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Given this state of affairs, it is not surprising that questions are asked about the role played by business schools and whether they act in good faith. Are they providing the right training for tomorrow’s company and organizational managers? Attempts to answer this question stem from a desire to improve programs, specialize in growth areas and better prepare our students for the future. Examining processes throws up a wide range of technical responses, which all aim to meet current demands. However, something has been left out here. Companies are not only responsible for efficiency but also for the way they achieve it and the consequences of their actions. This challenge is now being posed in more tangible terms. We cannot forget who we are and the culture from which we spring but neither can we ignore other ways of thinking and acting. In other words, we cannot afford to stick to our old ways if we want to globalize our activities. However, as I see it, our reaction is both piecemeal and unsustainable. Something similar occurs when we talk of social responsibility. We think more about our principles and our way of seeing things than about the needs and thought processes of other cultures. Evidently, we cannot condone child labor but the cold fact is that many families are forced to resort to this practice in order to survive. Our way of seeing things makes us strive to end child labor but it ignores the survival of people who live on the edge. It is not a question of defending the system but rather of understanding the situation so that reasonable alternatives can be found. Change cannot be achieved without a prior, deep-rooted understanding of the current state of affairs. Often, we fail to heed the demands of globalization because we are too wrapped up in defending our ideas and practices. We are swift to condemn what we disagree with but slow to ask why others see things differently. Our criterion of social responsibility does not always square with the way other cultures see the issue. In this context, trying to impose our own cultural preferences and ways of thinking on others is counterproductive. The understandable negative impact of such an approach is swiftly felt in the remotest corners of the world, for we live in an age of instant communication. But not all hope is lost. In my view, we have a new opportunity to redefine and complete the aims of business schools. We cannot forget that our aim is to train managers who will shape tomorrow’s global society in general and the corporate sector in particular. A global world is not one in which an infinite number of languages mix but rather one in which various ways of living and thinking are pitched against the problems facing each nation and society. Looking at this panorama should make us realize the complexity of what we need to tackle. We cannot yet again make the mistake of believing that organizations’ priorities only refer to the improvement of profitability. To do so would simply mean falling into the contradictions that have sometimes led to the very business school ethos being questioned. We must not allow history to repeat itself. Neither can we afford to ignore the fact that real management training is needed to secure the economic and social development that we all yearn for. Putting the topic of globalization in these terms increases the distrust between people, making it harder for them to work together to achieve harmonious, sustainable social development. Needless to say, the confrontation between systems spurs competition, which can yield positive results and create advancements. However, we can sometimes become so blinded by this intrinsic desire to overcome our competitors that we do not recognize the potential
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05/09/2011 4:00:04 PM