Global Competencies: How MBA Schools Develop Interculturally Competent Leaders

• In Event: Roundtable Group 4
  In Refereed Roundtable Session: Centering student outcomes and institutional reforms

Proposal

Abstract
Higher education institutions have internationalized for various reasons one of which is to prepare students to be interculturally competent and to compete in a global labour market (Knight, 2004). The ideal global graduate is one who has the skill set to respond to the changing needs of the workplace, to have tolerance and respect for other cultures and to have intercultural competence as a major skill for employers (Lilley, Barker, Harris, 2017; Sample, 2012; Spitzberg & Changnon, 2009). Business, trade and investment has moved from the local to national and now to the global realm and business education has seen rapid growth and expansion in the last few decades with the proliferation of MBA schools and the ubiquitous MBA degree which is considered the key credential for management education. However, business education curriculum has been criticized for not keeping pace with the expectations and changing needs of society and employers and, is seen as deficient (McMillan & Overall, 2016). Today’s business education requires a global curriculum to prepare students with a global perspective, to work in a complex global environment with individuals from differing cultures and solve wicked problems. Given the importance of global competence in the realms of higher education, society and business schools at large, a gap exists between the MBA curriculum and global competencies students need to be globally ready. This mixed methods research study will measure the intercultural competence of MBA students in their first year of a two-year program using a quantitative Cultural Intelligence survey and qualitative interviews based on Deardorff’s conceptual framework for the developmental model of intercultural competence (Deardorff, 2006). Preliminary findings of the study indicate an increase in intercultural competence for MBA students in the program, however, it is due to several contributing factors such as socialization, peers, group and team work and not directly tied to the curriculum. The results of the study will be presented in the hopes to illuminate the gaps in the curriculum in relation to the larger institutional internationalization efforts and highlight the importance of intercultural competence as a vital component of business education.

Author

• Freeda Khan, O.I.S.E. University of Toronto