ESADE Aims to Transform Business Education

Innovation is vital to business schools, especially at this point in time, says ESADE Business and Law Schools Dean of Faculty and Research Jonathan Wareham. Educators not only need to encourage student innovation, but educators also need to transform how they transmit knowledge. And that’s what ESADE is in the process of doing.

Wareham says, “The whole world is at some level questioning the value of the MBA. So much of the content we used to hold monopoly rights to is available online. This is a world-wide problem.”

But millennials are changing the game – they have different values according to Wareham. He says, “They don’t see degrees as the only way to arrive at social mobility”, says Wareham.

Revolution in education

As a result, business schools must break away from their heyday mold; embody innovation and embrace the new mindset of leadership.

And although they can’t ignore core concepts, they can teach them in a different way. Wareham says, “Now, knowledge and skills can happen outside the classroom; the value add is teaching students how to do things.”

ESADE has a new learning model – known as Student F1rst – to respond to how the world is changing. The project’s goal is to reinvent teaching to help students adjust to the challenges of globalization and the digital revolution.

Today, emphasis is on providing students with hands-on learning opportunities. In fact, professors hardly lecture anymore. To transmit core theories, professors rely on online content, readings, videos, and other means so students can study outside the classroom. As a result, when they’re face-to-face with students, professors can focus on discussions and clarifying students’ points.

Going digital

ESADE boasts digital platforms and online content to remain nimble and flexible, meaning time in the classroom is more transformational – responding to trends faster and providing students with the basics in an efficient way.

One of the pillars of this “new learning eco-system,” as the school calls it, is providing integration of ideas. Professors used to teach subjects in silos, but nowadays the school tries to make ideas flow from one subject area to another. The point is to make connections between theories and functions to show how each subject matter relates to the next.

Student as teacher

A bigger emphasis, however, is on making students a proactive part of their learning experience. In the class, they’ll confront real challenges that are roughly defined and multidisciplinary. It behooves students in this situation to get to know their strengths and weaknesses and find their voice and place on the team. ESADE turns the tables on students to teach themselves; professors are there to provide advice, guidance, and better understanding of the core material.

Truly, the point Wareham wants to drive home is that students don’t just have to be innovative when considering services and products. They also have to be agile enough to adjust to the marketplace whenever needed.

“The world is changing,” says Wareham. “The clock speeds of society are incredible. Our students are going to have to reinvent themselves many times.”

Transformational mindset

A hallmark of today’s MBA is procuring the ability to think entrepreneurially whether in a startup or corporate setting. At ESADE, Wareham says, students learn to fail forward and fail fast – the goal is to stay relevant to solve problems, and there are a number of labs on campus to help them do this.

Rambla of Innovation is the umbrella term for the five labs meant to help students innovate. Each provides a different perspective:

• Fusion Point – Business students from ESADE team up with the school’s law students, engineering students from Polytechnic University of Catalonia, and design students from Istituto Europeo di Design to invent products and services.
• Decision Lab – This is where people go to research a diverse range of topics, such as consumer behavior.
• Fab Lab – A digital manufacturing lab, it includes 3D printers, laser cutters, milling machines, and more to create products.
• EGarage – Sponsored by Santander Universidades, this lab is meant for sharing business ideas.

Doing good

Trying new things and experimenting are important aspects of managing teams in today’s workforce. After all, executives have to be able to work with data, much of which is imperfect, and they’re expected to be great problem solvers. Many are counting on businesses to help improve the world.

“What we try and do is be relevant,” says Wareham. “We are Jesuit. So, before it was fashionable, we encouraged our students to do something greater for society.”

Ultimately, like many European business schools, ESADE is focused on helping students become change agents, who have a positive impact on society while also pursuing career success in business.

“Our highest responsibility as an educational institution today is teaching students to be responsible for helping people,” says Wareham. “They have to face a world with lots of data but also with uncertainty and ambiguity.”