Reading through Podolny's article, one may be left with a relatively bleak outlook as to the state of the business education community. At first glance, the assessment leaves one thinking that business schools have taken on one of the stereotypes of contemporary big business, pursuing their results at any cost. It is heartening though seeing that Podolny and others have dug deeper in the wake of recent business scandals and found there to be an emphasis on data and qualitative methods which a lack of education towards values and ethics.
Podolny suggested that schools needed further integration of ethics education to their course work, and even professionalizing the field with a code of conduct, among other ideas that also include putting less emphasis on comparing ranks and graduate income, and encouraging more qualitative research (Podolny, 2009). I'm inclined to agree that these would be helpful steps. Certainly, if the goal is to attract individuals that think about big picture impact rather than the bottom line, it would do schools well to highlight alumni that have "made a difference" with the knowledge they've gained, rather than what their take-home pay is. While data and hard numbers will always be important, people and society need to be brought back into the equation of business thinking.
Since the Podolny article was written in 2009, more has been written on the topic of ethics in the MBA field, and action seems to be underway. Yale and the Aspen Institute have implemented a curriculum emphasizing the application of ethics in the workplace, with a focus on standing up for one's values. Columbia has incorporated "analysis, decision making, and leadership." Harvard is offering a program for first year students called "Field Immersion Experiences for Leadership Development" that gives an opportunity to apply classroom learning while working with industry, and apparently building an entrepreneurial company in six weeks (O'Connor, 2013). The same year that Podolny wrote his article, Harvard also began promoting a student-led MBA oath (Anteby, 2013).
Having said that, although there are programs being put into place, there is still a strong word of caution underlying the conversation. One article suggested that there still isn't quite enough being done, and suggested there needs to be further opportunities for application, or interacting with MBA students from other countries to better understand their own ethical challenges (Himsel, 2014). I can certainly understand the concerns, and I've got additional thoughts as well on the long term impacts of these programs. Although these new efforts at imparting ethics will touch the current generation of MBA students, one has to wonder about the enduring value of these lessons once they set off into to world of business...one that presumably still has a fair number of individuals inundated in the old ways of business, and quite possibly with a body of senior leadership that continues to lead as they've always led and as they've seen in their own experiences rising through the ranks. I agree, and see it as the way ahead, that the institutions will need to continue seeking opportunities to apply ethics, and they should continue to integrate it into existing lesson plans where possible, for ethics cuts across so many lanes of business practices.
In short, this new breed of ethically minded MBA students need to not only learn and apply ethics, but they must have the resilience to maintain these attitudes and behaviors throughout their career until, through attrition and setting the example, the culture of ethics takes hold as the preponderance and the norm rather than simply being a new upstart. It is when ethical business practice becomes the standard by which all newcomers are judged, the new metric upon which the great leaders are remembered, that the greatest effect will be realized.
Works Cited
Anteby, M. (2013, October 22). Why business schools need business ethics. In The Guardian. Retrieved October 26, 2014
Himsel, D. (2014, August 6). Business Schools Aren't Producing Ethical Graduates. In Bloomberg Businessweek. Retrieved October 26, 2014
O'Connor, S. (2013, May 15). The Responsibility Of Business Schools In Training Ethical Leaders. In Forbes. Retrieved October 26, 2014
Podolny, J. M. (2009). The Buck Stops (and Starts) at Business School. Harvard Business Review, 87(6), 62-67.
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