The MBA: a learning system in need of rethinking?

Since 1989 the Open University MBA has offered practicing managers a route to improved professional practice and career development. Experience with a new consultancy module suggested that a substantial proportion of students were not benefitting as intended. Students were learning theory instrumentally rather than using it to prompt rethinking of their assumptions and practice. Action research during 2008/9 explored the reasons for this and suggested ways of redesigning the MBA to achieve a more critical engagement. One key feature of the current system is its strongly hierarchical nature, which ‘disables’ managers as learners. A more collaborative and co-creative learning system would pose serious dilemmas for academics and sponsors. How can managers and academics mutually exploit their very different professional backgrounds for shared learning? Recognizing both shared concerns and real and significant differences in perspective is central to achieving this.