What We Have Here Is A Failure To Communicate
In the words of Axel Rose in the Guns & Roses song Civil War, ‘What we have here is failure to communicate. Some men you just can’t reach.’ On that occasion, the ultimate price was paid for this lack of communication. Recently, I read an article in The Sunday Times, that professionals who have taken an MBA have a problem. This problem, like in the song, is a failure to communicate. In this article I will be looking at the key skills that should be taught on MBA programmes. The article will then identify the benefits to both the individual students of MBA programmes and their subsequent employers if my recommendations are applied.
Inherent Failures
Let me start off by saying, there are a lot of good things to say about high quality MBA programmes. Provided a top course provider is selected in the first place, the skills learned over the duration of the course can reap benefits throughout the learners career. Whether you intend to start your own business after the course or continue in employment, the MBA is a valuable part of the corporate toolkit to have to hand.
There are however, a number of limitations. Even at business schools as prestigious as London Business School and Cass Business School, there are key components of the professional skills mix that are sadly lacking. These are Sales and Communication Skills.
In my mind, as a PR professional, I think that both sales and communications are intrinsically related. Certainly in one direction this is the case. It is impossible to sell anything unless you are an effective communicator. It is of course not essential that you need to be able to sell effectively in order to be classified as an effective communicator. But again, I would say they go hand in hand.
Looking at the skill of being an effective communicator on it’s own then, some claim that Communication is a skill that cannot be taught but it is something you can either do or you can’t. This is incorrect. I am currently working with teenagers in the town where I live, helping them develop their communications skills. The progress they are making is phenomenal and they are now in a far better position to impress, either at interview or socially.
I know a lot of great communicators who are not naturals in this area. They have to try hard at first, but over the course of time, these skills can be nurtured and developed. The important starting point however, is that these skills need to be taught in the first place. It doesn’t require a PhD in Behaviourism to work out that unless the skills are taught, for many, effective communication is an unachievable aim.
What is needed then, is for Business Schools to accept that there is a problem. Sir Peter Levy has said that school leavers are I’ll equipped with the skills needed in order to function effectively in the workplace. The same can actually be said about MBAs to an extent. So what is the solution. Well a good start would be to incorporate a module into MBA programmes that focuses on Communications Skills.
How Would It Work?
Well first of all, it needs to be decided which topics the course should be comprised of. Social Networking is the place to start. We have seen so many corporate disasters that were caused by executives themselves using Twitter or Facebook, seemingly not realising that what they posted on these forums goes GLOBAL immediately. Secondly, how about a session on body language, how to communicate in a social working environment. Now I’m not being patronising here. These are skills that it is simply assumed every MBA has. Yet in reality, some leave a lot to be desired in this area. Then let’s not ignore marketing communications itself. How to get the right message across to customers. Cross cultural communications and how getting this wrong cans destroy a business. Wow! There are just so many areas that need to be covered.
So there we have it. Quite simply, there is a need. The need is for MBAs to be adequately equipped with the knowledge of how to communicate effectively. The solution? A good start would be to work with a specialist in Communication Skills that has an intricate knowledge of the Business School environment and also the content of an MBA course. Top this off with on average, over 20 years of experience in the area of Corporate Communications and the conclusion is…..Business schools need to be working with Fusion-PRo.
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