{"id":32190,"date":"2016-02-19T15:29:23","date_gmt":"2016-02-19T22:29:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/2016\/02\/business-schools-emphasize-soft-skills-digital-innovation\/"},"modified":"2016-02-19T15:29:23","modified_gmt":"2016-02-19T22:29:23","slug":"business-schools-emphasize-soft-skills-digital-innovation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/business-schools-emphasize-soft-skills-digital-innovation\/","title":{"rendered":"Business Schools Emphasize Soft Skills, Digital Innovation"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Top<\/a><\/p>\n

How do business schools teach MBAs soft skills like communication?<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>From meeting greater MBA hiring demand for soft skills to understanding diversity beyond the numbers\u2014Here\u2019s what\u2019s trending at top business schools.<\/p>\n

Learning soft skills<\/b><\/h4>\n

Are the \u201chard\u201d business skills that companies have traditionally sought in new MBA hires giving way to softer skills like interpersonal communication? Some signs point to yes, which would explain why many business schools are emphasizing broader talents as part of their curricula. One such MBA program is the University of Pittsburgh\u2019s Katz Graduate School of Business, which has coined the term \u201cKatz ready\u201d for its graduate who are ready to hit the ground running in their post-graduate workplaces. \u201cThey (hiring managers) are coming back to tell us that they actually see a difference in our students because they\u2019ve been through this kind of program, which emphasizes hands on involvement and teamwork and pays a lot of attention to soft skills,\u201d says the school\u2019s dean. (<\/span>Poets & Quants<\/span><\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\n

Your MBA resume<\/b><\/h4>\n

Every business school applicant going into the admissions process should know that presentation is always as important as their accomplishments themselves. That\u2019s where your application CV comes into play: Highlight your leadership skills, show admissions officers that you have harnessed your talent as a leader to get things done, and demonstrate your knack for communication (see our note on soft skills above). Be crisp, clear, and to the point. Avoid technical jargon that you think will make you look smart but which actually comes off as pretentious. Also, show that you are an innovator and have successfully pioneered new projects or initiatives\u2014or at the very least that you tried, failed, but learned something in the process. (<\/span>U.S. News & World Report<\/span><\/i><\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\n

Digital innovation<\/b><\/p>\n

When it comes to the business world, embracing digital innovation is a must. Businesses are increasingly focusing on tech\u2014even companies that aren\u2019t at their core technology companies. For MBAs to take advantage of this trend, embracing technical expertise has to start in business school, not in the workplace. \u201cThere is a lot innovation happening. Where is online learning going? Every business school is trying to figure that out,\u201d says Fernando Contreras, associate director for extended learning at <\/span>Stanford\u2019s Graduate School of Business<\/span><\/a>. While many business now have their students using iPads and taking online courses, the landscape is still rapidly changing. (<\/span>BusinessBecause<\/span><\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\n

Business school questions its image<\/b><\/p>\n

Administrators, faculty, students, and alumni of the <\/span>Yale School of Management<\/span><\/a> have much to be proud of: selective admissions, high job placement rates, elevated positions in the rankings, etc. But some are beginning to question whether all those good things have come at a cost\u2014namely, a cost in its character. For starters, the SOM\u2019s new home is high-tech and boasts a glass-walled library, a far cry for its former digs, which included fireplaces and classes held in an old mansion. The reality is that all institutions of higher learning go through major changes. \u201cWe\u2019re not as small as we used to be and I don\u2019t think we\u2019re as quirky as we used to be. Leaders are much more likely to come out of a place that is connected globally,\u201d said Ted Snyder, dean of the school since 2011. (<\/span>The Wall Street Journal<\/span><\/i><\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\n

Quantifying diversity<\/b><\/p>\n

The outgoing dean of top-ranked <\/span>University of Michigan Ross School of Business<\/span><\/a> says that true diversity isn\u2019t about numbers alone, but about inclusion. \u201cStudents want a diverse environment in which to learn, we know students learn better\u2014in the long-run\u2014in an environment that\u2019s diverse. Recruiters want a diverse workforce. All constituents want a diverse campus and they want diversity to be addressed in the curriculum,\u201d says Alison Davis-Blake. She adds that diversity isn\u2019t just important among students, but also among faculty members (<\/span>Times Higher Education<\/span><\/i><\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

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The post Business Schools Emphasize Soft Skills, Digital Innovation<\/a> appeared first on Business School Insider<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How do business schools teach MBAs soft skills like communication? \u00a0From meeting greater MBA hiring demand for soft skills to understanding diversity beyond the numbers\u2014Here\u2019s what\u2019s trending at top business…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":120,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"1","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,558,243,940],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32190","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-gmat","category-kaplan-blog","category-blog","category-gmat-prep-gmat","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32190","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/120"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32190"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32190\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32190"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32190"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32190"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}