EMBA Fun - The Lighter Side of the Executive MBA Curriculum

An Executive MBA curriculum is known for being challenging, exhausting and at times overwhelming, so how does fun fit into the mix? According to a number of studies, fun actually helps solidify and strengthen learning. Business schools are now actively adding this element to their EMBA programs through activities and exercises both in and out of the classroom.

Creativity in the classroom                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

Learning about all aspects of business is at the core of every EMBA program. To spice things up a bit though, many top schools are adding interactivity and creativity in the classroom. “At Oxford, a lot of the creativity happens as part of the learning,” says Kathy Harvey, director of the Executive MBA at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford. “Crisis management activities, creativity exercises and trading simulations are incorporated into the lectures to make learning interactive.”

At HEC Paris, the school’s whole approach to the Executive MBA curriculum is based on interactivity and developing innovative ideas through creativity in the classroom. “Business games and case studies play a key role in our programs, and although the content is serious and focused on the real world, there is also an important element of fun as this plays a significant role in the acquisition of knowledge,” explains Marjo Jarvinen, marketing director for global business development at HEC Paris. “We also encourage our participants to think out of the box by organizing offbeat events that range from business games on the Eiffel Tower to professional speed dating.”

Dr Marian Iszatt-White, director of the Executive MBA at Lancaster University Management School adds: “We include elements within the learning program that combine learning with fun. For example, our ‘Business Development Challenge’ simulation module consists of a four-day business simulation which includes a live ‘Dragon’s Den’ funding pitch – students love the buzz of presenting live and seeing the outcome in terms of ‘investment’ in their simulation business. We also work with an acting coach in the ‘Practice of Leadership’ module to get under the skin of transformational leadership by asking students to create and deliver inspirational speeches – on any topic they are passionate about – to their fellow students.”

An MBA curriculum to work and play hard

At times, creativity in the classroom can take on new dimensions when it is taken outside the bounds of normal lecturing. Christo Nel, program director of Nyenrode Business Universiteit’s Executive MBA program, reveals that ‘work hard, play hard’ is the Nyenrode creed. “What starts out as a fun or leisurely activity still ends up becoming a learning opportunity, and that typifies a Nyenrode EMBA student – they start to identify a developmental/growth opportunity in everything they do,” Nel says.

“The EMBA is all about taking yourself out of your comfort zone to really gain the best out of yourself. During the program’s international module at the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa, EMBA participants have been involved in projects within the South African wine industry, gone swimming with sharks (something you don’t get the opportunity to do in the Netherlands), and met with former prisoners of the Robben Island Penitentiary – gaining interesting exposure to key players in South Africa’s recent history. Such discussions trigger much deeper reflection into what has made each individual who he or she is today – something that is an important part of the Nyenrode personal leadership development journey the participants go through during their EMBA.”

A number of programs take advantage of the fact that their MBA curriculum includes visiting new countries and unknown cultures to push the fun and healthy competition to an exotic level. Michael Schmidt, director of marketing for the OneMBA and EMBA programs at the University of North Carolina, reveals: “One example of this creativity is a team-based challenge in the markets of Istanbul. Each team is provided with a menu of ingredients to cook a Turkish-based delicacy. Teams need to negotiate for the prices of the goods, understand the local tastes, and finally, develop an edible – and tasty – product for shared consumption across the entire OneMBA cohort.”

Meanwhile, CEIBS facilitates a wide variety of activities for current and past EMBA students outside the formal classroom learning environment. “This can range from company visits at major industry players to the famous Gobi Challenge, a grueling four-day trek across 110km of the Gobi desert,” says Marcel Austin-Martin, admissions manager for the Global EMBA at CEIBS. “Every Global EMBA class elects a class committee, who assist in organizing activities such as family days, volunteer events, sports events, EMBA mixers with visiting international EMBA programs, study tours, and mentoring programs.”

According to Nick Barniville, director of degree programs at ESMT (the European School of Management and Technology) social events go a long way towards encourging creativity in the classroom. These range from small group events to larger professional-themed ones. “Some of the more recent events for the EMBA participants at ESMT include bowling, ‘Trabi’(old East German cars) safari tours of Berlin, boat trips on the Spree, tango lessons, family days for participants and their families, all of which culminate in the biggest event, the black-tie graduation celebration. Although fun, all of the events do have elements of networking, teambuilding and leadership, the latter being especially evident during the tango lessons,” Barniville says.

Whoever said studying wasn’t fun obviously never did an EMBA!