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8
MBA MYTH BUSTERS
Australian Institute of Business
12
18
GLOBAL MBA RANKINGS
CEO Magazine SOMETHING BIG IS HAPPENING IN 2026 - PEERING INTO THE IMMEDIATE FUTURE OF MBA s Alon Rozen
22
WHY TODAY’S MBA IS MORE ACCESSIBLE, FLEXIBLE AND FUTURE-READY THAN YOU THINK Torrens University Australia
26 30 A REVOLUTION IN GOVERNANCE: HOW AI WILL MAKE BOARDS MORE EFFECTIVE Theodoros Evgeniou and Peter Nathanial
NAVIGATING LEADERSHIP IN A TRANSPARENT AGE: THE POWER OF THE PERSONAL BRAND. EU Business School
FROM VUCA TO BANI: WHAT LEADERS RISK WHEN THE WORLD BECOMES THE EXCUSE Nathan Bennett
STAYING AHEAD OF THE CURVE: HOW KENNESAW STATE’S MBA PROGRAMS PREPARE LEADERS FOR A NEW ERA OF BUSINESS Kennesaw State University - Coles College of Business
WHY ACTION MUST BE YOUR DEFAULT MODE
Christopher O.H. Williams
FROM PROMISE TO PROOF: HOW OUTCOME-DRIVEN AND AI-ENABLED MBA EDUCATION IS REDEFINING BUSINESS SCHOOL RANKINGS
Dr Bert Wolfs
AN ECONOMY ON HIGH ALERT: POWER SKILLS FOR LEADERSHIP IN TURBULENT TIMES
Margarita Núñez Canal
HOW CEOs PREPARE THEIR BUSINESS FOR SALE, AND WHY MOST LEAVE VALUE BEHIND Chris Spratling LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS
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Group Editor-in-Chief
Alexandra Skinner
Sub-Editor
Krysia Whicher
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Designer
PENTA Limited
Financial Controller
Anthony Gordon
Head of Production
Steven Whitaker
Features Writer
Amber Callender
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For
MBA Mythbusters
Myth: I need a degree to qualify and excel in an MBA
Many professionals assume an MBA is out of reach if they didn’t complete university earlier in life. This perception is often reinforced by traditional universities, which require specific academic credentials or standardised testing scores for admission. In reality, many capable professionals build leadership, technical and problem-solving skills through years of hands-on experience without a bachelor’s degree. The Australian Institute of Business (AIB) acknowledges this and structures its MBA to welcome people who followed different career paths. Almost half of AIB’s alumni began their studies without a prior degree, showing that non-traditional candidates can not only qualify, but also excel.
The business school offers several entry pathways into its MBA programme:
- Relevant managerial or technical work experience
- An advanced diploma or associate degree plus relevant work experience
- A bachelor’s degree plus relevant work experience
- A GMAT score plus relevant work experience
Once in the programme, students benefit from an assessment approach tailored to working professionals. Instead of exams and group assignments, AIB uses practical assessments based on real business challenges. The programme helps students strengthen and formalise the expertise they have built throughout their careers. Concepts are applied directly to their roles, delivering immediate benefits as new knowledge is integrated into day-to-day work.
This accessibility is matched with comprehensive support. Orientation helps students navigate online study, Academic Skills Advisors refine writing and research skills, and the library team assists with accessing academic sources and industry data. Students also have free access to practical tools such as Grammarly, Scite, Studiosity and LinkedIn Learning to complete assignments with confidence.
AIB’s focus on practical experience and tailored support ensures a lack of university experience is never a barrier to progress, opening doors for ambitious professionals who once felt the MBA world was not built for them.
“It was my career ambition to build upon my technical trade foundation to help businesses reach further success. Once I moved into technical product management, I found myself with a glass ceiling above my head, which highlighted I needed new tools and skills if I wanted to grow my career. A trusted advisor encouraged me to explore business schools for working professionals, and AIB’s Course Advisors reinforced that the AIB MBA would be the right path to enhance my career further.
“Although I initially worried that not having an undergraduate degree would hold me back, AIB recognised the value of my career experience. They also offered flexibility through study breaks and online delivery, which allowed me to balance career commitments while taking full responsibility for my success.
“Since undertaking and completing my MBA, my career has progressed significantly. It has opened new doors within a global business environment, but crucially, it has given me the confidence and skillset to operate at a more strategic level.
“AIB’s flexibility, along with the support of Online Learning Facilitators and classmates from around the world, makes the programme manageable and even enjoyable. My advice: have confidence in yourself and remember you are never alone.”
James Slowgrove
2025 AIB MBA Graduate Offer Manager (Services) at Schneider Electric
“Although I initially worried that not having an undergraduate degree would hold me back, AIB recognised the value of my career experience.”
Myth: Studying online means studying alone
The belief that online study is an isolating experience does not align with how modern online MBAs are delivered. At AIB, interaction, collaboration and support are core components of the learning model.
Instead of traditional one-way lectures, AIB’s MBA is delivered through collaborative discussions, case studies and problem-solving activities. This approach deepens comprehension and builds essential soft skills such as communication and strategic thinking. Peer-to-peer engagement is another defining feature of the programme. Students learn alongside professionals from diverse industries and countries. These international cohorts reflect the global nature of modern business, prompting students to consider how strategies succeed across different cultural and economic contexts.
The AIB community extends well beyond the classroom. With more than 20,000 students and alumni across 100 countries, learners gain access to an established global network. Graduates stay connected through social media groups, online webinars and in-person events in Australia and Canada. Beyond lifelong friendships, many graduates say the relationships formed during their MBA led to tangible career outcomes such as promotions, industry changes, mentorships and business partnerships. Support is another key factor challenging the idea of isolation. Unlike institutions that adapt campusbased support systems to online students, AIB’s support framework was purpose-built for remote learning. In the Australian Government’s 2023-2024 Student Experience Survey, 85.8% of AIB students rated their support positively, well above the 80.4% national average. Students have access to academic, technical and wellbeing assistance throughout their entire program. Practical guidance is available for study planning and navigating course requirements, while confidential counselling supports personal and wellbeing needs. The Alumni Ask Me Anything programme adds another layer of connection,
linking students with experienced alumni who provide mentorship and guidance throughout their studies and beyond.
AIB’s MBA delivers more than a qualification. It provides students with a thriving community, ongoing support and career opportunities that extend far beyond graduation.
“The support from both the academic and support staff, which I believe is often underrated, has been exceptional. The amount of time people invested in helping me learn and improve, including the librarians, is noteworthy. When I’ve encountered any issues, the setup at AIB to ensure student success is unparalleled.
“I’ve also made lifelong friends, which has been one of the highlights. One of my favourite moments was at graduation, seeing people whom I had never met in person before. It was truly special.
“My advice? Just do it. Honestly, it’s sad to think that if it weren’t for the circumstances brought on by COVID and illness in my family, I might not have pursued an MBA, and that would have been a real shame. The courses have significantly improved my professional skills, and the experience has been incredibly rewarding. I’ve gained more confidence, received a promotion and a pay rise. I would say my satisfaction rate is 150%.”
Annette Mychael 2023 AIB MBA Graduate Director, Performance Improvement and Support EAPAC, IHG Hotels & Resorts
“The courses have significantly improved my professional skills, and the experience has been incredibly rewarding. I’ve gained more confidence, received a promotion and a pay rise. I would say my satisfaction rate is 150%.”
Myth: I don’t have time to study
Many professionals hesitate to pursue an MBA due to demanding schedules, but advancing education doesn’t have to come at the expense of work, family or social commitments. The AIB online MBA is designed to be flexible and achievable.
The Student Learning Portal and the myAIB app allow students to study anytime, anywhere, adapting learning to their energy, availability and routine. Live webinars are scheduled outside work hours, with recordings available later for flexible access. There are many ways that learning can easily be integrated into daily schedules, such as studying during lunch breaks or networking with peers in the evening. Audio versions of course content even make it possible to learn while commuting, working out or running errands – turning everyday moments into learning opportunities.
Instead of long semesters with multiple courses, students typically focus on one subject at a time. Each runs for seven weeks with a one-week break to reflect and recharge. Students receive learning materials two weeks in advance, allowing them to schedule study around existing professional and personal commitments. Accelerated options let students take subjects concurrently to complete the MBA in as little as 12 months, and breaks between subjects make it easy to manage unexpected demands without withdrawing.
Studying while working also enhances learning outcomes. Professionals can apply new insights directly to projects, reinforcing understanding and producing practical results. Workplace challenges become opportunities to test theories in real time, while hands-on experience enriches assignments and discussions, creating a continuous loop between study and professional growth.
When learning is built around real schedules and real work, time stops being a barrier and becomes part of the advantage.
“Working in finance, I spend a lot of time partnering with other departments and influencing cross-functional outcomes. I wanted to deepen my understanding of different business functions and learn how to engage with those teams more effectively.
“Working while studying the AIB MBA actually became one of my biggest advantages. I was able to use real business problems from my day job as the basis for many assignments. This helped me look at problems from different angles and apply new frameworks straight away. Since graduating, my career has accelerated significantly. I moved from a commercial finance role at Haymes Paint to Head of FP&A at The Collagen Co.
“Online flexibility also made a massive difference. I could study when it suited me, including early mornings, late evenings or quieter weekends. I travelled to New Zealand and could do my assignment on the ferry or while in the air. Another advantage of the AIB MBA was the subject structure. Commercial finance is already fast-paced, and at the same time, I was leading a major project. Having the programme broken into focused, manageable blocks meant I could give proper attention to each subject without feeling overwhelmed.
“The MBA is much more achievable than you think. Break it down into small, consistent chunks, lean on the flexibility of the programme and integrate it with your day job. It will be one of the best things you could do.”
Vincent Fogarty
2024 AIB MBA Graduate Head of Financial Planning and Analysis at The Collagen Co.
“Working while
studying
the AIB MBA actually became one of my biggest advantages.”
2026 GLOBAL MBA RANKINGS
The 2026 Global MBA Rankings profile 340 programmes across 24 countries. Each table is weighted against defined performance criteria, including faculty quality, diversity, accreditation, cohort composition, exposure and value measures. The objective is not to reward reputation alone, but to provide a consistent reference point across varied institutional models. Read together, the tables offer perspective, helping potential students assess fit, format and long-term alignment rather than position alone.
GLOBAL MBA RANKINGS
Business School Country
American University: Kogod USA
Appalachian State University USA
Arden University UK
Aston Business School UK
Auburn University: Harbert USA
Audencia Business school France
Australian Institue of Business Australia
Bentley University: McCallum USA
Boston University: Questrom USA
Brunel Business School UK
Bryant University USA
Business School Netherlands The Netherlands
California State University-Chico USA
California State University-Long Beach USA
California State University-Northridge USA
California State University-San Bernardino USA
CQUniversity Australia
Centrum PUCP Business School Peru
College of William and Mary: Mason USA
Colorado Technical University USA
Concordia University Canada
Crummer Graduate School of Business at Rollins USA
Darmstadt Business School Germany
Deakin Business School Australia
Drexel University: LeBow USA
Duke University: Fuqua USA
Durham University Business School UK
EAE Business School Spain
EBS Business School Germany
École des Ponts Business School France
ESADE Business School Spain
Escuela de Negocios, Universidad de San Andrés Argentina
EU Business School Germany, Spain and Switzerland
Flinders Business School Australia
Florida International University USA
Florida Southern College School of Business USA
Fordham University USA
Georgia State University: Robinson USA
TIER ONE
Business School Country
GlobalNXT University Malaysia
Grenoble Ecole de Management France
Griffith University Australia
HEC Montréal Canada
Hofstra University: Zarb USA
Hult Internatonal Business School USA
IAE Business School Argentina
IFM Business School Switzerland
INCAE Business School Costa Rica
ISEG Portugal
International School of Management Germany
Jacksonville University USA
John Carroll University: Boler USA
Kennesaw State University USA
Kent State University: Crawford USA
Kingston Business School UK
Lagos Business School Nigeria
Lancaster University Management School UK
Leeds University Business School UK
Loyola Marymount University USA
Loyola University of Maryland USA
Maastricht University School of Business and Economics The Netherlands
Macquarie Business School Australia
Manchester Metropolitan University Business School UK
Marquette University USA
Massey University New Zealand
Millsaps College USA
Munich Business School Germany
Nebrija Business School Spain
Newcastle University Business School UK
Norwich Business School UK
Oakland University USA
Pepperdine University: Graziadio USA
POLIMI School of Management Italy
RMIT University Australia
Rochester Institute of Technology: Saunders USA
Rome Business School Italy
Rutgers Business School USA
GLOBAL MBA RANKINGS
Business School Country
Saint Joseph's University: Haub USA
SBS Swiss Business School Switzerland
Seattle University: Albers USA
Simon Fraser University: Beedie Canada
Spain Business School Spain
Strathclyde Business School UK
Suffolk University: Sawyer USA
Suliman S. Olayan School of Business Lebanon
Swinburne University of Technology Australia
Texas Christian University: Neeley USA
Texas State University: McCoy USA
The Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM) Mexico
The Lisbon MBA Catolica|Nova Portugal
The University of Liverpool Management School UK
The University of Texas at Dallas: Jindal USA
The University of Texas at San Antonio: Alvarez USA
Torrens University Australia Australia
Trinity Business School Republic of Ireland
University at Buffalo School of Management USA
University of Akron USA
University of Alberta Canada
University of Bath School of Management UK
University of Baltimore USA
University of Canterbury New Zealand
University of Cape Town Graduate
School of Business South Africa
University of Chile FEN-UCHILE Chile
University of Cincinnati: Lindner USA
University of Delaware: Lerner USA
University of Denver: Daniels USA
University of Exeter Business School UK
University of Glasgow: Adam Smith Scotland
TIER TWO
Business
Northwest Missouri State University USA
TIER ONE
Business School Country
University of Kentucky: Gatton USA
University of Louisiana at Lafayette USA
University of Louisville USA
University of Maine USA
University of Massachusetts-Lowell USA
University of Michigan-Flint USA
University of New Mexico: Anderson USA
University of North Carolina-Charlotte: Belk USA
University of North Florida: Coggin USA
University of North Florida, University of Warsaw, and Technische Hochschule Koeln
USA, Poland and Germany
University of Oklahoma: Price USA
University of Ottawa: Telfer Canada
University of Portland School of Business USA University of PretoriaGordon Institute of Business Science South Africa
University of Sussex Business School UK
University of San Francisco: Masagung USA
University of Sheffield Management School UK
University of Tampa: Sykes USA
University of Texas at Arlington USA
University of West Georgia USA
University of Western Australia Business School Australia
University of the Witwatersrand, Wits Business School South Africa
University of Wollongong Sydney Business School Australia
Victoria University Business School Australia
Virginia Commonwealth University USA
Waikato Management School New Zealand
Willamette University: Atkinson USA
Xavier University USA
University of North Texas USA
GLOBAL EMBA RANKINGS 2026
Rank Country
1 École des Ponts Business SchoolEada Business School Global MBA
Rank Country
=25 Simon Fraser University: Beedie EMBA-IBL Canada
2 University of Ottawa: Telfer Canada
3 Nyenrode Business University The Netherlands
=4 Maastricht University School of Business and Economics The Netherlands
=4 SBS Swiss Business School Switzerland
=5 Kennesaw State University USA
=5 Rutgers Business School USA
6 University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business South Africa
=7 INCAE Business School Costa Rica
=7 The Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM) México
=8 Hult Internatonal Business School
France and Spain USA
=8 Universidad Católica del Uruguay Uruguay
9 Grenoble Ecole de Management France
=10 Escuela de Negocios, Universidad de San Andrés Argentina
=10 Massey University New Zealand
=11 Rome Business School Italy
=11 Trinity Business School Republic of Ireland
12 Aston Business School UK
13 POLIMI School of Management Italy
14 Strathclyde Business School UK
=15 Arden University UK
=15 Business School Netherlands The Netherlands
16 Pontifica Catholic University of Chile Chile
=17 OBS Business School Spain
=17 Suliman S. Olayan School of Business Lebanon
=18 AIX Marseille Graduate School of Management France
=18 University of Denver: Daniels USA
=19 TBS Education France
=19 The University of Texas at San Antonio: Alvarez USA
=20 IAE Business School Argentina
=20 Villanova University USA
21 The University of Texas at Dallas: Jindal USA
22 University of PretoriaGordon Institute of Business Science South Africa
23 College of William and Mary: Mason USA
=24 Drexel University: LeBow USA
=24 Washington State University: Carson USA
=25 Marquette University USA
26 Simon Fraser University: Beedie EMBA Canada
27 Georgia State University: Robinson USA
=28 Hofstra University: Zarb USA
=28 Norwich Business School UK
=29 EAE Business School Spain
=29 Crummer Graduate School of Business at Rollins USA
=30 Concordia University Canada
=30 Cork University Business School Republic of Ireland
31 University of Tampa: Sykes USA
=32 RMIT University Australia
=32 University of Oklahoma: Price - EMBA in Energy USA
33 Pepperdine University: Graziadio USA
34 Summa University Columbia
35 Virginia Commonwealth University* USA
36 Lagos Business School Nigeria
37 Centrum PUCP Business School Peru
38 California State UniversityLong Beach USA
39 Rochester Institute of Technology: Saunders USA
40 The Lisbon MBA Catolica|Nova* Portugal
41 Durham-EBS Executive MBA Germany and UK
42 Saint Joseph's University: Haub USA
43 University of Oklahoma: Price- EMBA in Aerospace and Defence USA
44 Xavier University USA
45 Florida International University* USA
46 California State UniversitySan Bernardino USA
47 Esade Business School Spain
48 Oakland University USA
49 University of Alberta Canada
50 Spain Business School Spain
51 Suffolk University: Sawyer* USA
52 Seattle University: Albers USA
53 University of New Mexico: Anderson USA
54 Duke University: Fuqua* USA
55 Lancaster University Management School UK
56 University of Louisiana at Lafayette USA
ONLINE MBA RANKINGS 2026
Rank Country
1 EU Business School Germany, Spain and Switzerland
2 Hult Internatonal Business School USA
3 Maastricht University School of Business and Economics The Netherlands
4 INCAE Business School Costa Rica
5 SBS Swiss Business School Switzerland
=6 Nebrija Business School Spain
=6 Trinity Business School Republic of Ireland
7 POLIMI School of Management: I-Flex EMBA Italy
=8 IAE Business School and Emertitus Argentina
=8 Macquarie Business School Australia
9 GlobalNXT University Malaysia
10 Torrens University AustraliaMBA On Demand Australia
11 Aston Business School UK
=12 Business School Netherlands The Netherlands
=12 The University of Liverpool Management School UK
=13 Centrum PUCP Business School Peru
=13 Rome Business School Italy
=14 Arden University UK
=14 OBS Business School - EMBA Spain
=15 Escuela de Negocios, Universidad de San Andrés Argentina
=15 University of Exeter Business School UK
16 OBS Business School - Tech MBA Spain
17 Deakin Business School Australia
=18 OBS Business School - Global MBA Spain
=18 Suliman S. Olayan School of Business Lebanon
=19 University of Maine USA
=19 Darmstadt Business School Germany
=20 Griffith University Australia
=20 Torrens University AustraliaMBAA and MBA Australia
21 University of Tampa: Sykes USA
=22 European Institute of Management Malta
=22 Drexel University: LeBow USA
23 Rochester Institute of Technology: Saunders USA
24 Australian Institute of Business Australia
25 La Trobe University Australia
=26 Pepperdine University: Graziadio USA
=26 Swinburne University of Technology Australia
27 University of Wollongong, Sydney Business School Australia
28 Purdue University: Mitch Daniels School of Business USA
29 Instituto Europeo de Posgrado Spain
=30 Florida Southern College of Business USA
Rank
Country
=30 Jack Welch Management Institute USA
31 University of Denver: Daniels USA
=32 College of William and Mary: Mason USA
=32 Georgia WebMBA
(Columbus State University, Georgia College, Georgia Southern University, Kennesaw State University, University of West Georgia, Valdosta State University)
USA
=33 CQUniversity Australia
=33 Marquette University USA
=34 Saint Joseph's University: Haub USA
=34 CQUniversity Hyperflexible MBA Australia
=35 Durham University Business School UK
= 35 John Carroll University: Boler USA
=36 Flinders Business School Australia
=36 University of Louisville USA
37 University of Massachusetts-Lowell USA
=38 The University of Texas at Dallas: Jindal USA
=38 Victoria University Business School Australia
39 University of Kentucky: Gatton USA
=40 American University: Kogod USA
=40 Instituto Europeo de PosgradoProject Management Spain
41 EAE Business School Spain
=42 University of Cincinnati: Lindner USA
=42 University of Georgia: Robinson USA
43 California State University-Long Beach USA
44 RMIT University Australia
45 University of North Carolina-Charlotte: Belk USA
46 Loyola University of Maryland USA
47 Kent State University: Crawford USA
48 University of Delaware: Lerner USA
49 California State University-Chico USA
50 Bentley University: McCallum USA
51 University of Akron USA
52 University of Louisiana at Lafayette USA
53 Oakland University USA
54 University of Wisconsin - Whitewater USA
55 Appalachian State University USA
56 Xavier University USA
57 Hofstra University: Zarb USA
58 California State University-San Bernardino USA
59 Bryant University USA
60 University of Oklahoma USA
61 Colorado Technical University USA
62 University of Michigan - Flint* USA
63 Georgia State University USA
64 Florida International University* USA
65 University of New Mexico: Anderson USA
66 Suffolk University: Sawyer* USA
67 Northwest Missouri State University USA
68 University of North Texas USA
69 University of North Carolina-Wilmington: Cameron* USA
70 Texas State University: McCoy USA
*Incomplete data
INTELLIGENCE BRIEF
2026 GLOBAL DBA LISTING
Based upon accreditation, quality of faculty, geography, and international standing, this year’s Global DBA Listing is designed to showcase the market’s premier DBA providers.
Business School Country
Aberdeen Business School UK
Abu Dhabi University United Arab Emirates
Antwerp Management School Belgium
Aston Business School UK
Athabasca University Canada
Audencia Business School France
Baruch College, City University of New York: Zicklin North America
Beirut Arab University Lebanon
Birmingham City University UK
Bournemouth University UK
Burgundy School of Business France
Business School Lausanne Switzerland
Case Western Reserve University: Weatherhead North America
Centrum PUCP Graduate Business School Peru
City University of Hong Kong China
Concordia University Canada
Copenhagen Business School Denmark
Cork University Business School Republic of Ireland
Creighton University: Heider North America
Crummer Graduate School of Business at Rollins North America
DePaul University: Kellstadt North America
Drexel University: LeBow North America
Durham University Business School UK
Durham-emlyon (GDBA) UK & France
École Des Ponts Business School France
Emlyon Business School Global DBA Asia Track China & France
EU Business School Germany, Spain and Switzerland
Florida Institute of Technology: Bisk North America
Florida International University North America
Franklin University North America
GBSB Global Business School Spain
Georgia State University: Robinson North America
GlobalNXT University Malaysia
Grenoble Ecole de Management France
Harvard Business School North America
Heriot Watt University Edinburgh Business School UK
Hong Kong Baptist University China
Hult International Business school North America
IAE Business School Argentina
IE Business School Spain
ISM International School of Management Germany
International University of Monaco Monaco
IPAG Business School France
Jacksonville University North America
Kennesaw State University: Coles North America
Kingston University UK
Lagos Business School Nigeria
Leeds Metropolitan University
Leeds University Business School
Liverpool John Moores University
London Metropolitan University
Manchester Metropolitan University
Massey University New Zealand
Northumbria University
Nottingham Trent University
Nyenrode Business University
Oklahoma State University
Business School Country
Pepperdine University: Graziadio North America
POLIMI School of Management Italy
Pontifical Catholic University of Chile Chile
Rennes School of Business France
Saint Joseph's University: Haub North America
Sacred Heart University: Welch North America
SBS Swiss Business School Switzerland
SDA Bocconi Schoool of Management Italy
Sheffield Hallam University UK
St. Ambrose University North America
St. Thomas University North America
Swinburne University of Technology Australia
Teesside University UK
Temple University: Fox North America
Texas State University: McCoy North America
The Durham DBA at Fudan Fudan
The Global DBA Durham-Emlyon UK and France
The University of Liverpool Management School UK
Thomas Jefferson University North America
United Arab Emirates University UAE
United Business Institutes Belgium
United International
Business Schools
University of Bath
University of Bedfordshire
University of Birmingham
University of Bolton
Switzerland, Belgium, Spain, the Netherlands, Italy and Japan
University of Bradford School of Management UK
University of Calgary: Haskayne Canada
University of Dallas: Gupta North America
University of Florida North America
University of Glamorgan
UK
University of Gloucestershire UK and Germany
University of Hertfordshire
UK
University of Houston: Bauer North America
University of Huddersfield
University of Manchester: Alliance
UK
UK
University of Maryland Global Campus North America
University of Missouri-St. Louis North America
University of North Carolina-Charlotte: Belk North America
University of North Texas North America
University of Otago Business School New Zealand
University of Pittsburgh: Katz North America
University of Portsmouth UK
University of Pretoria:
Gordon Institute of Business Science South Africa
University of Reading: Henley Business School UK
University of Rhode Island North America
University of South Florida: Muma North America
University of Southern Queensland Australia
University of Surrey
UK
UK
The Netherlands
North America
Pace University: Lubin North America
Paris-Dauphine PSL University France
Pennsylvania State University: Smeal North America
UK
University of Tampa North America
University of Western Australia Australia
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater North America
Victoria University Business School Australia
Virginia Tech: Pamplin College North America
Vlerick Business School Belgium
Walsh College North America
Washington University in St. Louis: Olin North America
Zurich University of Applied Sciences Switzerland
Something Big is Happening in 2026 –Peering into the Immediate Future of MBAs
Alon Rozen
No major surprise to begin, as most of you will expect AI to be the star of the MBA going forward. And you’re right. But probably not in the way you are thinking. AI has gone from tool, to subject to background radiation permeating all discussions in MBA programmes around the world. Students, faculty, marketers, recruiters, admissions, accreditors – everyone is thinking about AI, talking about AI, using AI and wondering how to use it responsibly. Beyond MBA programmes, the business world is trying to come to grips with a simple but profound question: Will AI be a net positive for society (creating jobs, value, and welfare) or a net negative (destroying jobs, value, and welfare)?
This is why the nature of the conversations we’re having is quietly shifting from “How do we use AI?” to “What kind of society are we building with it?”
Now, don’t get me wrong, this isn’t the first time MBAs have faced a major technological shift. Since I did my MBA in 1995, we’ve lived through nothing less than globalisation, digitisation, dematerialisation, platforms, mobile, e-commerce, smartphones, cloud, big data, ESG and climate change. But generative AI feels different, much more immediate, in our face, far-reaching and somehow deeper. It touches the way we think, what and how we create, our critical reasoning (or lack thereof), what authorship means, and what responsible/appropriate/ legitimate use should look like. Things that business schools normally assume are stable.
By the way, AI use acknowledgement up front (something MBA papers will all need to include as of 2026): genAI is not being used to write this article, but I did use both Perplexity and ChatGPT 5.2 to do research for this article.
From an MBA student's perspective, it is rare that students do not use AI. Some use it expertly to the point that it is impossible to discern; others use it so clumsily that it feels insulting. Two years ago, when an MBA student answered a question about “his strongest impressions from the Silicon Valley study trip” with “during an immersive learning expedition one can experience multiple longlasting impressions…” I realised that AI problems were now coming to the fore. All business schools are now tasked with playing a silly game of cat and mouse, where they ask students not to use AI for some assignments, and MBA students get better at hiding the use of AI for all assignments. Now the question is how we can help them to use AI intelligently, ethically, responsibly, and even strategically.
From the faculty perspective, AI is creating quite an identity crisis as to what a teacher is supposed to teach. What is a professor’s value if AI can do everything related to theoretical/knowledge-based content delivery better? Ethan Mollick has an interesting take on AI as raising the bar on what counts as thinking. Business schools will need to work with their faculty on rethinking the content delivery, the assessment, feedback, and the student-teacher relationship. Not an easy ask, but 2026 will be a tipping point on this dimension.
As a school that promotes Responsible Technology (through our ReTech Center) and actively encourages our students to use and master AI as a key competence, things can get awkward quite quickly. As a dean and professor, and especially as a techno-optimist, AI has really put me in an uncomfortable situation. We have literally written and re-written our AI Use Guidelines every six months over the last two years. And it always feels like we are six months behind. We are paying a lot in licenses to detect AI use in MBA assignments. But AI use, when detected, only yields a probability and can result in a 0% plagiarism score. This makes abuse of AI difficult to enforce, or to know how to enforce. On the one hand, we are actively encouraging students to use and master AI, and then we turn around and ask them to limit their use of AI. It feels as silly as asking them to stop using spreadsheets or calculators.
What makes the situation even more delicate is that accreditors are now asking how we are ensuring learning outcomes in an AI-rich environment, original authorship, and rethinking curricula accordingly. Accreditors aren’t asking us to be for or against AI; we just can’t pretend any longer that it hasn’t changed the MBA. Here too 2026 is going to be a tipping point.
Going back to the discussions on AI. In just the last two years, we have gone from how to use it, to how to regulate it, to how to prevent misuse, to whether AI is good or bad for society. That is a rapidly shifting conversation. Already in 1988, long before AI, a French author-philosopher by the name of Jacques Ellul wrote a thought-provoking book in which he states that the social discourse around technology as inevitable, desirable, and equated with freedom is a “bluff”. That this discourse distorts our view of the social role of technology as a force for good. He believes that technology can go either way. The protechnology camp is selling us a narrative that technology always increases productivity and, by extension, welfare. But he shows that this too is often a bluff - as tech often redistributes effort without substantive qualitative improvement in human life. He warned us that modern societies run the real risk of becoming subordinated to technologies and technological systems that prioritise efficiency and productivity above all else, including human values. He wasn’t against technology, but he was against unquestioned technology. And this discussion, which could seem too philosophical even for MBA classrooms,
“Generative AI feels different, much more immediate, in our face, far-reaching and somehow deeper.”
is actually infiltrating the business world and civil society today. How much automation is enough, how much productivity is enough, when will we start to see the job creation that counterbalances the job destruction we all seem to be seeing?
Fast-forward to 2023, and Nobel Prize-winning authors MIT economists Daron Acemoglu and Simon Johnson, in their book Power and Progress, reinforce Ellul’s message about technology. Like Ellul, they resist Silicon Valley techno-optimism and ask us to ask ourselves tough questions about when/ where/how/why technology is human-augmenting, human-displacing, or disguised as progress but actually erodes human welfare. They describe the interesting case of “so-so technologies” that look like progress but are not. An example being an Amazon Go with no employees but the same prices for goods as in a fully staffed supermarket. Technology has simply replaced human labour; it has not decreased the cost of what is being sold.
These questions, which will combine to form implicit or explicit debates and conversations, will be part of all MBA programmes in the visible future. And I can confidently predict that these will bubble over into broader debates on Responsible Technology. Conversations about how technology can be harnessed to play a positive role in society, how it can create more jobs and empower employees and managers, rather than replacing them. And how we can help to shape that future.
The question for MBAs, as our future managers and leaders, is how they will understand, use, and deploy technology without becoming collateral damage. How will they empower their teams with the use of AI without replacing them with AI? How will they use AI to move from “negative productivity” (doing more with fewer employees) to
“positive productivity” (doing more new things with more employees)?
As Yuval Noah Harari reminds us, technology doesn’t just change what we do and how we do it, it also changes who has power, who decides and who has influence. This makes it very difficult to separate teaching strategy from teaching societal consequences. MBA programmes cannot teach growth without discussing impact, cannot teach innovation without discussing (data) governance, and cannot teach leadership without discussing responsibility. We can’t turn MBA programmes into advanced philosophy degrees, but I do think the discussions will need to get deeper.
Circling back, most business schools and MBA programmes around the planet are going to be discussing AI all of 2026 as they try to come to terms with how to teach it, how to integrate it, how to draw the line between unacceptable and responsible use, where to use it to better support the students, how to use it to better select the students, how to design assessments that are AI-proof, the ethics of AI, how to enforce inappropriate use of AI, and so much more. Each business school will also need to decide on their worldview: techno-optimism or responsible technology.
So, I guess the biggest trend in MBAs in 2026 is going to be a “blue pill – red pill moment” for business schools around the world. Who will promote a worldview in which they are passive adopters of technology as it is presented, versus who will encourage their MBAs to be active shapers of how technology enters and impacts society? Let’s call it a bit ironic, but as AI gets better at answers, we humans are forced to get better at questions. And that, ultimately, is what intellectual leadership and a business education have always been about.
BIOGRAPHY
Prof. Alon Rozen is Dean and professor of Innovation at École des Ponts Business School.
“AI has gone from tool, to subject to background radiation permeating all discussions in MBA programmes around the world.”
Why Today’s MBA Is More Accessible, Flexible and Future-Ready Than You Think
An MBA has long carried a certain mystique. For some, it feels reserved for established executives, traditional academic pathways, or professionals able to pause life in order to study.
At Torrens University Australia, we see something different every day. We see early-career professionals stepping into leadership. Parents studying between school runs and meetings. Entrepreneurs refining ideas into ventures. And people who once believed an MBA was “not for them” discovering that not only can they do it, they can thrive. Let’s look at the beliefs that most often hold capable professionals back.
Myth: An MBA isn’t built for people like me
Many professionals quietly disqualify themselves before they explore their options. They assume an MBA is only for senior executives or that without a traditional undergraduate pathway, the door is closed.
At Torrens University Australia, MBA programs are intentionally designed for professionals at different career stages, across industries and educational backgrounds. The experience is structured, supportive and highly applied, giving students the confidence to build capability step by step.
Josh, an MBA (On Demand) student, began his career as a chef before using the MBA to validate his experience and transition into healthcare recruitment.
He explains, “The biggest surprise was how easy it was to build the momentum. It hasn’t slowed me down professionally; it’s helped me. It even added a layer of discipline to my everyday.”
The program empowers motivated professionals, not just those already at the top of an organisational chart. Whether someone is stepping into early leadership, shifting industries or strengthening their business foundations, the MBA becomes a bridge rather than a barrier.
Importantly, you don’t need an undergraduate degree to begin. Torrens University Australia offers multiple entry pathways, from Graduate Certificate through to Graduate Diploma and MBA, ensuring prior experience is valued alongside formal qualifications.
Myth: An MBA is one-size-fits-all
Another common belief is that postgraduate study is rigid: fixed schedules, narrow intakes and strict deadlines that rarely align with real work cycles. Torrens University Australia challenges that assumption by building flexibility into the core of its MBA offering.
Through MBA (On Demand) and FLEX delivery options, students can study in ways that align with their professional and personal lives. With no scheduled classes and all materials available from day one in the On Demand format, students choose when and how they engage.
The MBA FLEX pathway adds further adaptability. Students can complete subjects in as little as four to five weeks or take the full 12-week period, depending on what life demands at the time. Assessments have no fixed due dates, and marking turnaround is just two working days, allowing students to progress quickly when they are ready.
“Delivering a product that suits their lifestyle is what matters,” says MBA Director Alex Bolt. “Students can start when it works for them.”
There are also 10 annual intakes at 5-week intervals, allowing professionals to choose when they begin. Students can accelerate, decelerate or time their studies around non-peak work periods.
In addition, Torrens University Australia offers online learning, on-campus study in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide, blended delivery and fully flexible On Demand options. Accessibility is no longer tied to geography.
For Cristina, that flexibility made progression realistic rather than overwhelming.
“As a mum, a wife, an IT manager, a master’s student and everything in-between, my schedule is always full. Being able to study at my own pace, selecting the schedule and the study modes that work for me, is incredibly valuable.”
“As
a mum, a wife,
an IT manager, a master’s student and everything in-between, my schedule is always full. Being able to study at my own pace, selecting the schedule and the study modes that work for me, is incredibly valuable.”
Cristina, MBA Student
“Stop
Myth: An MBA won’t translate into real career outcomes
For some professionals, the hesitation is practical. Will it make a difference? Is it too academic? Is it worth the investment?
At Torrens University Australia, the MBA is designed to translate directly into workplace performance and long-term progression. From the outset, the emphasis is on practical application. Students complete a Capstone for Impact, applying their learning to a real-world challenge relevant to their industry or organisation. It’s not a theoretical exercise. It’s an opportunity to practise leadership, navigate ambiguity and sharpen strategic decisionmaking in contexts that mirror the complexity of modern business. Many students use the Capstone to address live issues within their organisations, creating tangible value while they study.
This same real-world orientation shapes the entire MBA experience. The program is delivered by an industry-driven faculty, with many lecturers coming directly from industry or remaining actively involved in it. As Alex explains, this ensures that theory is never abstract; it’s reinforced with lived experience, current insights and practical examples that reflect today’s business environment. Discussions draw on contemporary case studies and emerging trends, ensuring learning remains relevant to evolving market conditions.
The program also builds enduring networks. Through collaboration, discussion and shared challenges, students form connections that extend well beyond graduation. Those relationships create opportunity, open doors and strengthen career trajectories over time. Cohorts often include professionals from diverse sectors and leadership stages, expanding each student’s perspective and professional reach.
It’s this combination of applied learning, industry insight and peer connection that underpins the program’s global recognition. The MBA (On Demand) is ranked Top 10 globally by CEO Magazine and recognised among the Top 21 MBAs worldwide. Delivered by PhDqualified academics and industry experts at Australia’s fastest-growing university, the program combines credibility, industry alignment and measurable career relevance.
However, recognition only matters if it translates into lived experience.
For students like Josh, it did. What began as a decision to validate his experience became a catalyst for change.
“Stop being scared off by the study. Stop thinking it’s not for you; it is for you, and I couldn’t recommend it highly enough.”
His advice reflects a shift many students experience: from uncertainty about whether an MBA will truly make a difference to clarity about its professional value and the confidence to act on it.
being scared off by the study. Stop thinking it’s not for you; it is for you.”
Josh, MBA (On Demand) Student
Shifting the narrative from
‘maybe one day’ to ‘day one’
Myths create hesitation. Hesitation delays careers, opportunities and ambition.
The modern MBA is no longer distant or exclusive. It’s adaptable, inclusive and designed to move with life. It recognises that today’s professionals are not stepping away from their careers to study; they are building capability while actively shaping them.
At Torrens University Australia, that philosophy is embedded in the structure of the program itself. Flexibility, industry integration and multiple entry pathways are not add-ons; they are deliberate design choices that reflect how contemporary professionals live and work. The result is an MBA that supports momentum rather than interrupting it.
For many students, the shift is not just academic but psychological. What once felt out of reach becomes realistic. What once felt intimidating becomes manageable. And what once felt like a distant aspiration becomes an immediate step forward.
If an MBA has ever been on your mind, perhaps the question is not “Am I ready?” but rather, “What if you are more ready than you think?”
Source: Torrens University Australia. Proud EFMD Member CRICOS Provider Code: 03389E
A Revolution in Governance: How AI Will Make Boards More Effective
Theodoros Evgeniou and Peter Nathanial
The modern board of directors has its origins in medieval merchant guilds and developed in the age of sail: a safeguard for investors when companies like the British East India Company crossed the seas to trade in distant ports. Since then, the purpose of boards has not changed: to provide a system of informed, independent and accountable corporate oversight.
But boards have had their limitations right from the start too. The East India Company was nationalised after governance failures, just as Credit Suisse, Silicon Valley Bank, Volkswagen and Lehman Brothers have been in more recent times.
Complex challenges and heightened expectations
While the board's primary role has not changed, the challenges it faces have evolved dramatically.
Contemporary boards face a range of difficulties: global markets are highly complex; CEOs like Sam Altman and Jeff Bezos wield outsized power; technology is disruptive and fast moving.
The series of high-profile governance failures mentioned above has also added pressure on boards in the form of increased expectations and responsibilities. All those corporate scandals featured dysfunctional boards that failed to identify or control crises.
AI: better, further, faster
AI's recent explosion into public consciousness has stoked both tremendous hope and dark fears for the decades to come, not least in relation to the future of work. AI thus poses an immediate challenge for boards.
Having conducted extensive research into the uses of AI, we turned to its implications for boards. Happily, we found that fears about AI and corporate governance are largely misplaced. Board members won't be replaced by robots. Instead, AI will enable human directors to see better, further and faster.
As we show below, AI will provide transformational support across five core challenges – challenges that boards have faced since their inception – enabling boards to meet them more effectively than ever before.
AI solutions to the five challenges to board effectiveness
1. Information: knowledge and competence
For a board to function effectively, its members must understand information given to them about their business and the world it operates in. A problem for many board members is that this information usually comes from the executives they oversee: it can be selective, skewed to show success and hide failure. And information often arrives just before a meeting and is written for expert executives, not for board members.
Meanwhile, complex global markets make it challenging for the board to grasp relevant competitive, technological and regulatory changes. Contemporary AI is unrivalled in its ability to synthesise information. Used effectively, AI will enable directors to match executives in their understanding of a business and its contexts.
AI can synthesise regulatory findings, financial figures, employee feedback and much more. This means boards will have more time to make decisions and think strategically – areas that many boards admit are shortcomings.
2. Time: efficiency and insight
Boards typically meet only a few times a year and
members often don't have time to process the information provided to them: they end up focusing on the short term, such as validating financial results, and rarely taking the time to consider long-term strategies.
AI can help directors prepare for meetings more swiftly. In addition, AI can recall previous discussions accurately, including integrating relevant new insights. It can also shape pertinent questions to ask executives.
Governance will change its rhythm as a result: rather than operating around sporadic sessions, board work will be continuous, reactive and anticipative. Boards will be able to focus on operational issues and more strategic thinking.
3. Action: confidence and decisiveness
If finding the time to have an adequate discussion is difficult, it is even harder for a board to put deliberation into action. If directors have not had time to reflect and do not feel at ease with complex information, they can lack the confidence to take necessary action – or act in haste without really understanding what is at stake.
Our research identifies this problem in leadership transitions. General Electric, for instance, faced major difficulties after CEO Jack Welch retired in 2001. It took GE two decades to address the issue. In the end, GE split into three more focused businesses in 2023. Under Welch, GE had drifted too far from its original purpose – developing leading technology – focusing instead on building a financial house. This became clear when GE went down in the 2008 global financial crisis.
AI can provide a near continuous stream of good information. It can also
“As business becomes increasingly automated, boards will need to work effectively to keep their organisations human-centred.”
provide efficient forecasts, scenario analyses and risk assessments. Armed with these tools, boards can act swiftly and with greater foresight.
4. Emotion: respect and empathy
The board's task is in many ways an objective one. However, the high stakes can make the relationships between board members – and between boards and executives – emotionally charged. This can have significant impact on mutual trust and board effectiveness. A functional board requires members to have confidence in and empathy for each other. A board where rivalry, cynicism and frustration lurk will not govern well.
Even in the realm of emotions, AI can provide support. First, AI can monitor meetings and note disengagement, tensions, repetition and even fatigue, prompting intervention. Second, by analysing behavioural, decision and communication data over time, AI tools can help ensure that board members are still “fit and proper” for their roles. Increasingly, AI will also play a role in selecting directors. Third, AI can help boards to identify the patterns of deference and control that emerge when, for example, former CEOs serve as chairs, or a chair has become too sympathetic towards a CEO.
5. Spirit: purpose and integrity
Board members' emotional relationships matter deeply, but above that is the sense of “spirit” the directors must feel: their sense of purpose and responsibility, intellectual courage and moral integrity. When this sense of spirit weakens, a board ceases to be effective.
BIOGRAPHIES
The 2023 governance failure at OpenAI, where the board dismissed CEO Sam Altman only for him to return a few days later, was partly caused by the board missing changes in spirit at OpenAI. The firm began as a non-profit foundation but clearly started moving (with Altman bringing in Microsoft as a key partner) towards the commercial promise of AI.
Evidently, AI cannot make a direct intervention in matters of the spirit. However, the spirit of the board is only strong when the four other foundational challenges are addressed effectively. Boards often struggle to meet all five challenges: failure in one dimension cannot be offset by greater energies in the others and typically leads to board ineffectiveness. But as we have seen, AI will help boards to meet the challenges of information, time, action and emotion.
Working in partnership
How AI will impact the future remains unknown. But one thing is clear: any fears that AI will make humans redundant on governing boards is misplaced. In fact, we think that the opposite is true: AI will allow boards to be the informed, accountable and anticipative institutions they need to be. As business becomes increasingly automated, boards will need to work effectively to keep their organisations human-centred.
Theodoros Evgeniou is a Professor of Decision Sciences and Technology Management at INSEAD. Peter Nathanial conducts executive coaching and provides board development training and programmes for INSEAD. He is an Executive in Residence at IMD and a former Adjunct Professor at INSEAD
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Republished courtesy of INSEAD Knowledge. Copyright INSEAD 2026.
“Board members won't be replaced by robots. Instead, AI will enable human directors to see better, further and faster.”
Navigating Leadership in a Transparent Age: The Power of the Personal Brand.
EU Business School
Leadership is more visible than ever. Executives operate under an unrelenting spotlight, where decisions are dissected in real time and messages can quickly spiral into headlines. Leaders are increasingly evaluated not just on their results, but also on how they communicate, negotiate and represent their organizations during challenging times.
This reality has moved personal branding from the periphery of leadership discussions into the heart of strategic leadership development. Once primarily associated with entrepreneurs and marketing professionals, personal branding has become an essential skill for executives, managers and future leaders alike.
Understanding Personal Branding
A personal brand is not simply about visibility. It is about credibility. It reflects the lasting impression created through consistent behavior, communication and decision-making. In moments of uncertainty or conflict, that impression often determines whether people trust a leader’s judgment or question it.
For modern managers, this represents a shift in responsibility. Operational expertise and strategic thinking remain essential, but they are no longer enough on their own. Leaders must also understand how their actions shape perception and trust within complex organizations. Leadership decisions are increasingly visible across teams and digital platforms, making how leaders act and communicate more important than ever.
Personal Branding as a Cornerstone of Leadership Credibility
Take, for example, Satya Nadella's leadership approach at Microsoft. Upon becoming CEO in 2014, Nadella confronted a stagnant corporate culture and internal rivalries. Instead of merely implementing a new strategy, he articulated a leadership philosophy rooted in empathy, learning and collaboration. Over time, this philosophy became synonymous with his personal brand, reshaping how employees, partners and customers perceive Microsoft's leadership culture.
This case exemplifies a broader trend: leadership credibility increasingly hinges on the alignment between a leader's words and their consistent actions. Personal branding is, therefore, not a superficial endeavor; it is a disciplined practice that ensures behavior, communication and leadership identity are in harmony. A well-defined leadership brand enables executives to build trust swiftly, communicate authoritatively and represent their organizations more effectively. When leaders are perceived as authentic and consistent, their decisions carry more weight, even in turbulent times.
Navigating Conflict with Intelligence
Another reason personal branding has become integral to leadership is the growing complexity of managerial decision-making. Organizations operate within environments where competing interests, pressures and expectations frequently collide. For managers, these situations create more than operational or strategic challenges. They also raise questions of identity, reputation and leadership. How managers communicate, negotiate and represent themselves during moments of conflict increasingly shapes their personal brand.
In this environment, traditional leadership competencies alone are not enough. Leaders must develop what scholars call Conflict Intelligence, which is the ability to understand, navigate and use conflict constructively while maintaining credibility and composure. Research by Peter T. Coleman suggests that conflict is not something leaders can eliminate. It is a natural feature of complex systems that must be understood and managed thoughtfully.
This perspective is important for leadership identity.
Leaders who react defensively often deepen divisions, while those who approach conflict with curiosity and discipline create space for productive dialogue and stronger decisions. Over time, these behaviors shape a leader’s reputation. Colleagues begin to associate them with clarity, balance and sound judgment, qualities that become especially valuable when pressure increases.
Building a Resilient Leadership Brand
Credible leadership brands share several defining characteristics. They are grounded in clear values, enabling leaders who understand what they stand for to communicate with greater consistency. Whether addressing internal challenges or engaging with external partners, their decisions reflect guiding principles that inform their leadership. Strong leadership brands are cultivated through consistent actions rather than sporadic visibility. A personal brand is not shaped by the occasional speech; it is molded by repetitive behavior. Leaders who remain composed under pressure, communicate transparently and treat others with respect gradually build a reputation that others come to rely on.
Additionally, credible leaders demonstrate the ability to engage constructively with disagreement. In complex organizations, conflict is inevitable. Leaders who navigate it thoughtfully not only strengthen team cohesion but also enhance their own professional credibility.
Pathways for Aspiring Leaders to Cultivate Their Personal Brand
For those aspiring to leadership roles, personal branding should not be viewed as a mere marketing exercise. Instead, it should be approached as a leadership discipline that evolves through experience, reflection and consistent behavior. The first step often involves defining a clear leadership identity. Early in their careers, many professionals focus primarily on developing technical expertise. While this is important, emerging leaders should also contemplate the type of leader they want to become. This involves reflecting on the values that guide their decisions, the qualities they wish to embody, and the strengths they consistently bring to complex situations.
Communication also plays a defining role in personal branding. Leadership communication involves framing
“Leaders who remain composed under pressure, communicate transparently and treat others with respect gradually build a reputation that others come to rely on.”
decisions, clarifying reasoning and maintaining transparency in uncertain times. Leaders who communicate with structure and clarity earn more trust than those whose messages fluctuate based on the audience or context.
Mastering conflict management provides another critical learning opportunity. Poorly managed conflict can damage relationships and erode credibility, while thoughtful engagement can demonstrate maturity and strategic insight. Leaders with strong Conflict Intelligence actively listen before reacting. They seek to understand underlying concerns and interests before proposing solutions, separating personal feelings from strategic decisions. This thoughtful approach, communicated in a manner that acknowledges differing perspectives, gradually becomes a hallmark of their leadership identity.
Experiential Learning in Leadership Development
Leadership develops through experience, reflection and exposure to diverse viewpoints, making immersive learning environments essential in executive education. At EU Business School, master’s and MBA students on the Digital Campus are invited to attend On-Campus Weeks, allowing them to step out of the virtual classroom and engage directly with real-world professional settings in the campus cities of Barcelona, Munich and Geneva. During these intensive sessions, participants interact with peers, faculty and industry experts through guest lectures, company visits and collaborative exercises. The 2026 Barcelona edition will focus on personal branding and conflict-intelligent leadership, showing participants how to communicate under pressure, negotiate competing interests and represent their organizations effectively. These experiences are complemented by EU Business School’s career support and talent development services, which include one-to-one coaching, mentorship,
BUSINESS SCHOOL PROFILE
personal branding workshops, CV support and interview preparation.
Together, experiential learning and structured career support help students refine their personal brand and translate leadership development into tangible professional outcomes, reinforcing that leadership identity evolves through dialogue, experience and reflection.
Leadership: A Reputation Built Over Time
Ultimately, personal branding in leadership transcends recognition or visibility; it is fundamentally about trust. Teams are drawn to leaders whose behavior is consistent and whose values are unambiguous. They place their confidence in leaders who exhibit composure during difficult conversations and fairness when competing priorities collide.
In an era characterized by complexity and constant scrutiny, that identity becomes one of a leader's most valuable professional assets. Leadership competence and reputation are no longer distinct concepts; they are intertwined dimensions of the same capability. For aspiring executives, developing a personal brand rooted in authenticity, discipline and Conflict Intelligence is a necessity in the modern leadership landscape.
For individuals seeking to elevate their leadership presence and navigate complex organizational challenges with clarity and credibility, EU Business School's programs provide a unique opportunity to develop the essential skills, insights and personal brand needed for effective leadership. Participants benefit from immersive On-Campus Weeks, practical career guidance, one-to-one mentoring, workshops, CV and interview support and access to the Digital Campus talent development resources. Join us this fall to experience these programs firsthand and strengthen both your leadership and professional trajectory. Visit euruni.edu for more information.
EU Business School (EU) has been educating future entrepreneurs and business leaders since 1973. We offer innovative foundation, bachelor’s, master’s and MBA programs on our campuses in Barcelona, Geneva and Munich, as well as on our Digital Campus. We believe in hands-on, pragmatic learning that will give you the real-world skills to excel in the workplace of the future.
“Ultimately, personal branding in leadership transcends recognition or visibility; it is fundamentally about trust.”
From VUCA to BANI:
What Leaders Risk When the World Becomes the Excuse
Nathan Bennett
In recent years, senior leaders have developed a new way of explaining why institutions struggle to perform as expected. The world, we are told, has become BANI - brittle, anxious, nonlinear, and incomprehensible. Systems fail without warning. Cause and effect no longer align. Traditional tools of planning and judgment are said to be inadequate to the moment.
“Institutions are designed, governed, and revised by people. Boards decide where capital is allocated. Leaders decide how close they remain to operations. Accountability is not rendered obsolete by uncertainty.”
This language now circulates widely in boardrooms, consulting reports, and executive education programs. It sounds sophisticated, even candid. Yet increasingly it serves a more consequential function: it reframes leadership failure as environmental inevitability. When the environment is treated as an inevitable cause of breakdown, responsibility quietly shifts away from decisions about governance, investment, and operational discipline.
Consider how this framing is already used. When Tupperware filed for bankruptcy last year, its leadership pointed to a “challenging macroeconomic environment” that had severely affected the company’s financial position. The explanation carried an air of inevitability, as though an iconic brand had simply been overtaken by forces beyond anyone’s control. The company’s own filings told a different story. Tupperware did not open an Amazon storefront until 2022. Nearly 90 per cent of its revenue still came from direct-sales parties in 2023. Analysts described the company as absurdly late to e-commerce. This was not an incomprehensible environment. It was a prolonged failure to invest.
Not every organization reaches for environmental explanations. If any company could plausibly claim to be a victim of a BANI world, it would be Boeing. Its operations span global supply chains, regulatory regimes, and geopolitical risk. Yet after two fatal 737 Max crashes and, more recently, a door plug failure at 16,000 feet, the company’s new chief executive did not blame the world. Addressing employees this year, he described the coming culture shift as “brutal to leadership”. The brittleness, he suggested, was internal. Decades of costcutting, leadership distance from operations, and tens of billions of dollars directed to share buybacks had weakened quality systems. The environment did not produce those choices. Governance did.
There is nothing wrong with acknowledging that the business environment has become more demanding. Leaders who pretend otherwise are fooling themselves. But there is a difference between recognizing risk and using fragility as an alibi. Increasingly, the language of brittleness and anxiety is doing less analytical work than political work. It explains away missed decisions,
BIOGRAPHY
deferred investments, and weak accountability by making failure feel inevitable.
Language matters because it shapes behavior. When leaders are taught that the world is fundamentally incomprehensible, they begin to act as though judgment itself is suspect. Decisions are postponed. Strategy becomes an exercise in endurance rather than choice, with modelling and scenario planning substituting for commitment. Responsibility diffuses because, after all, what could reasonably be expected of leadership in such conditions?
The most dangerous consequence of this rhetoric is the elevation of anxiety from a response to a diagnosis. Anxiety is real, but it is not an environmental condition. When anxiety is treated as an unavoidable feature of the world rather than as a signal about how organizations are designed and governed, accountability shifts. Leaders become more likely to tolerate brittle systems than to redesign them, more likely to favor reassurance over intervention and process over judgment.
The deeper irony is that fragility talk often accompanies precisely the kinds of decisions that increase fragility in the first place. Years of underinvestment, excessive efficiency drives, and leadership distance from operations hollow out an organization’s capacity to adapt. When the system finally breaks, the explanation offered is not that strategy was neglected, but that the environment became too challenging. Complexity becomes the cover story for choices already made.
None of this argues for rigid planning or fantasies of control. Genuine complexity is real and cannot be engineered away. But neither should it excuse drift. Institutions are designed, governed, and revised by people. Boards decide where capital is allocated. Leaders decide how close they remain to operations. Accountability is not rendered obsolete by uncertainty.
The danger of today’s fragility rhetoric is not that it describes how difficult leadership has become, but that it quietly lowers expectations of what leadership owes. Brittle systems are not acts of nature. They are built, tolerated, and defended. However BANI the world may become, responsibility remains a choice.
Nathan Bennett is the faculty director of the Executive MBA at Georgia State University’s Robinson College of Business.
“The danger of today’s fragility rhetoric is not that it describes how difficult leadership has become, but that it quietly lowers expectations of what leadership owes. Brittle systems are not acts of nature.”
Today’s business landscape is evolving faster than ever. Generative and agentic AI, global market volatility, and new workforce expectations are reshaping how organizations operate and what skills leaders must possess. Businesses increasingly need professionals who can think critically, leverage emerging technologies responsibly, and, above all, adapt continuously.
To remain relevant, modern MBA programs must be designed for this reality. Kennesaw State University’s Master of Business Administration programs and its Executive MBA program are meeting this challenge through a combination of new credentials, updated
concentrations, and a curriculum rooted in real-world application. By embracing continuous change, KSU is preparing graduates to not only adapt to change, but to become change agents themselves.
A Business Landscape Transformed by Technology
Across industries, AI is no longer experimental; it’s foundational. McKinsey’s Technology Trends Outlook 2025 highlights 13 technology trends rapidly transforming global business, with AI amplifying the impact of nearly all of them. Executives face rising complexity as computing power expands, digital and physical systems blend, and competition intensifies.
“By embracing continuous change, KSU is preparing graduates to not only adapt to change, but to become change agents themselves.”
This technological shift is also redefining the nature of work. For example, agentic AI, which can execute complex tasks with limited human oversight, saw widespread adoption in 2025. According to PwC, 79 percent of companies reported using AI agents to automate executionheavy tasks, leaving human leaders to focus on framing problems, evaluating solutions, and steering strategy.
Business schools have noticed this trend and are responding accordingly. A 2025 report from the Graduate Business Curriculum Roundtable demonstrates how AI is now integrated into core business instruction, including leadership, strategy, and ethics, rather than treated as a separate subject or elective.
The changing face of business means that MBA programs like the ones at Kennesaw State University must evolve to keep up with the market they serve.
Executive MBA: New Certificates for a New Era
To ensure senior leaders are ready for today’s challenges, KSU’s Executive MBA program now includes two embedded credentials: the Certificate in EvidenceBased Management (EBM) and the Certificate in Applied Generative AI for Business. Both launched in March 2025 and are offered annually.
EMBA Academic Director Marko Jocic describes the certifications as “two complementary credentials” that strengthen both leadership thinking and technological fluency.
“Evidence-Based Management strengthens leaders’ ability to make high-quality decisions using rigorous critical thinking and credible evidence rather than intuition alone,” Jocic says. “Applied Generative AI for Business equips executives to responsibly apply generative AI tools to real business problems. Together, these certificates address both how leaders think and how they effectively leverage emerging technology.”
Evidence-Based Management: Strengthening Executive Judgment
The EBM certificate trains executives to navigate uncertainty with disciplined analysis. Students complete applied projects focused on organizational challenges and develop a Critically Appraised Topic (CAT), which is a structured evaluation of evidence quality, logic, and managerial reasoning. The credential concludes with a capstone that requires teams to synthesize evidence into a defensible recommendation.
“Senior leaders must navigate increasing uncertainty and information overload, rapid technological disruption, particularly from AI, and higher expectations for datadriven and ethically grounded decisions,” Jocic said. “This credential ensures EMBA graduates are actively trained to operate within these realities.”
Applied Generative AI: Turning Technology Into Strategy
While EBM teaches professionals how to think, the AI certificate teaches them how to interact with emerging technologies. Students complete hands-on projects involving content creation, AI-supported analysis, and automation concepts. The focus of the material is on the ethics and strategy of integrating AI into workflows.
“Assignments emphasize practical use, ethical considerations, and implementation planning,” Jocic says. “Students even build professional-grade digital assets such as personal consulting websites.”
These skills reflect the broader market shift brought on by the rapid adoption of AI, which is transforming the role of human leadership from managing processes toward defining problems, interpreting insights, and evaluating AI-generated outputs.
Evening MBA: Expanding Concentrations for a Changing Workforce
It is not only leaders bound for the C-suite that must contend with changing technology. Professionals enrolling in MBA programs today face pressures unlike those of the past. According to Minjiao Zhang, Academic Director of Kennesaw State’s Evening MBA Program, today’s leaders confront rapid change driven by new technologies like AI, globalization, market volatility, and growing uncertainty.
“Professionals must adapt quickly, leverage data for strategic decision-making, navigate cross-cultural complexity, and lead diverse, often hybrid teams,” Zhang said. “Our MBA program responds by continuously evolving the curriculum and concentrations to meet these demands.”
In the latest examples of these evolutions, the Evening MBA program has expanded its offerings, including new concentrations in Business Intelligence and Rural Management.
Business Intelligence: Preparing Data-Driven Managers
The new Business Intelligence (BI) concentration in KSU’s Evening MBA program reflects the central role data now plays across industries.
“Data has become a core driver of decision-making,” Zhang said. “Organizations need leaders who can not only interpret data, but convert insights into action.”
Students pursuing the BI concentration take advanced courses in risk analysis, simulation, operations research, big data analytics, and digital marketing. These are in addition to the core MBA coursework in accounting, finance, strategy, IT, and organizational behavior. The curriculum integrates BI across disciplines instead of treating it as purely technical.
Assignments focus on real-world managerial problems, requiring students to integrate financial, operational, and customer data into actionable strategies.
“The concentration prepares graduates to make better, faster, and more defensible decisions in environments defined by uncertainty and complexity,” Zhang said.
Rural Management: Meeting the Needs of Transforming Communities
While most of the challenges motivating recent changes in MBA education are technological, shifting demographics have also played a role. KSU’s new Rural Management concentration addresses an often-overlooked sector undergoing major change. Rural communities face workforce shortages, aging populations, limited infrastructure, and pressure on traditional industries, while also seeing growth in agribusiness innovation, renewable energy, rural healthcare, and small-business development.
“The Rural Management concentration responds to evolving challenges and opportunities in rural communities,” Zhang said, “blending analytical, strategic, and entrepreneurial tools so graduates can create meaningful economic impact.”
Courses include Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Economics of Development for Rural America, Agribusiness Strategy, and Real Property Analysis. Graduates are equipped to develop strategies tailored specifically to strengthening rural communities economically and improving the lives of their residents.
AI Across the MBA: A Curriculum That Evolves With the Market
Although the Evening MBA program does not have an AI-specific credential, the topic is increasingly woven into the entire MBA curriculum. The program’s finance, financial technologies (fintech), and marketing concentrations all have courses focusing on the use of AI, machine learning, predictive modeling, and more.
SCHOOL PROFILE:
“AI is now embedded across many courses and concentrations, and additional components are actively being developed,” Zhang said. “We want students to gain practical experience with AI technologies and be prepared to leverage them strategically across industries.”
Adaptability as a Core Leadership Competency
Adaptability is central to both the Executive and Evening MBA programs at Kennesaw State University.
“These [EMBA] certificates formalize and extend our tradition of teaching adaptability by grounding leaders in structured critical thinking and hands-on exposure to emerging tools,” Jocic said. “Graduates are operationally prepared to lead through continuous change.”
In the Evening MBA, adaptability is cultivated through flexible pacing, diverse peer interaction, and assignments that mirror real-world ambiguity.
“Case studies, simulations, and team projects require students to respond to evolving information and ambiguous outcomes,” Zhang says. “Exactly what they’ll face on the job.”
Preparing Leaders for What Comes Next
The trajectory of modern business is clear: technology will continue to accelerate, uncertainty will persist, and leaders will need strong judgment, strategic insight, and the ability to adapt.
Kennesaw State University’s MBA and Executive MBA programs are built for this world. Through relevant new credentials, targeted concentrations, and a curriculum aligned with global trends, KSU is preparing leaders who can not only navigate change but also shape it.
The Michael J. Coles College of Business is the second-largest university business school in Georgia, offering 10 undergraduate degree programs and eight graduate programs to its more than 10,000 students. Coles College is among the top 2 percent of business schools to earn accreditation in both business and accounting by AACSB International, the world’s most prestigious accrediting body for business schools.
“Today’s business landscape is evolving faster than ever, and the skills leaders must possess are being reshaped by generative AI, global volatility, and new workforce expectations.”
Why action must be your default mode
Christopher O.H. Williams
Around 6:00 PM on December 1, 1955, after a long day of work as a seamstress at the Montgomery Fair department store in Montgomery, Alabama, 42-year-old Rosa Parks boarded the Cleveland Avenue bus on her way home. She wasn’t famous yet. When she was ordered to give up her seat to a white passenger, she refused. That single act of quiet defiance launched the Montgomery Bus Boycott and became a cornerstone of the American Civil Rights Movement. The rest, as they say, is history. This story is sometimes told as if the outcome was inevitable, as if history was already moving in that direction and Parks simply hopped on at the right stop. Perhaps we like this version because it removes the burden from the individual; it suggests that "progress" is an autonomous force that eventually rights itself. But that’s not what happened in 1955. History didn’t move until Rosa Parks did. Until she acted.
And that is the point.
As much as we talk about the power of acting, we don’t use it nearly enough. In days of cynicism about information, leadership, and institutions writ large, it feels like more people are slipping into a comfortable rationalisation of detachment and inaction. We ‘opt out’ in subtle ways and find reasons to stay on the sidelines. We make soothing cases for why now isn’t the time, why we’re not ready, or why it’s better to wait.
Rosa Parks didn’t have the luxury of waiting for the perfect moment. And neither do we.
The good news is that a generation later, action still has power, and it still packs a punch. That’s worth remembering as we find ourselves in one of the most consequential periods in human history. About five years ago, I began researching the concept of courage to explore it as a practical force. I wanted to understand what makes ordinary people do extraordinary things, what helps leaders move from intention to execution, and why so many of us struggle to act even when we know what we should do.
What I concluded quickly and then repeatedly is that resolutions, dreams, and aspirations are not the problem. The problem is follow-through. We live in an era of unprecedented access to ‘inspiration’. We can consume TED talks, podcasts, and self-help books until we are intellectually gorged on the idea of change. But inspiration without implementation is hapless. Courage turns our intentions into reality. More importantly, courage is not a spectator sport; it doesn't earn its name until we actually act. That sounds obvious, yet it’s the part we routinely skip.
We’ve entered a fascinating phase in human history,
marked by rapid and significant change across multiple fronts. The pace of culture, the speed of technology adoption, and the intensity of global competition can feel downright bewildering. We feel compelled to keep up, yet we are rightly cautioned not to be swept away. This tension creates a specific kind of modern fatigue, a ‘paralysis of analysis’ where we spend so much energy weighing options that we never actually choose one.
This is where a term I hear about often becomes relevant: the Action Fallacy. It suggests that in a high-speed world, it’s easy to confuse motion with progress. We can fill our days with activity, initiatives, meetings, and digital noise and still avoid the one decision, conversation, or commitment that would actually move the needle. We can be busy and inert at the same time.
True action is often the thing we are avoiding while we do everything else. It is the difficult conversation with a partner, the decision to quit a stable but soul-crushing job,
or the commitment to a project that might fail publicly. Routine is safe; action is risky. Motion feels like ‘work’, but action is the work that changes the world.
The changes around us aren’t simply ‘routine’. They’re redefining the world and portending upheaval in pillars of existence we once assumed were stable. As these changes create economic, social, and technological disparities, our values and ethics are suddenly more in play. It becomes harder to remain neutral. Staying silent starts to look like taking a side. Saying “I’m just watching” starts to feel like a decision.
In my own reflections, I found that while my transformational periods were preceded by courageous action, my most regretful periods were marked by its absence. The same holds true for even our greatest institutions, like NASA. In the 60s, it galvanised our imaginations with bold exploration of space. In the wake of the Challenger (1986) and Columbia (2003) disasters, it was decried for its ‘normalisation of deviance’, a term coined by sociologist Diane Vaughan. It describes the process by which people within an organisation become so accustomed to a deviant behaviour, such as ignoring a recurring safety warning, that they no longer consider it deviant.
They defer necessary action until the risk of inaction feels tolerable. The lesson isn't that NASA lacked intelligence; it's that even the most capable people can drift into paralysis by rationalising the unacceptable. When we see a problem and don't act, we are participating in our own normalisation of deviance. We accept the ‘small’ flaws until they lead to a catastrophe. The cost of inaction is rarely visible until it’s irreversible.
A bias toward acting is a muscle. It must be trained in small, everyday habits to prepare us for the big moments. Why is this muscle so vital?
- Action signals you are in the game. It moves you from observer to participant. In a world that rewards visibility and momentum, action is the clearest signal you can send to others and to yourself that you intend to matter. It is a claim of agency.
- Action builds confidence. There is a common misconception that we need confidence before we act. In reality, confidence is the byproduct of action. Even a small move creates a small win. Small wins reduce
“We can
fill our days with activity, initiatives, meetings, and digital noise and still avoid the one decision, conversation, or commitment that would actually move the needle.”
uncertainty and create the psychological evidence that you can follow through.
- Action changes what you can see. Think of a rock climber. They don’t see new holds by staring harder; they see them by shifting position. By moving up or to the left, the wall's topography changes. Action enhances perspective. It clarifies options and possibilities that were invisible from the old vantage point.
- Action invites collaborators. Passive people rarely attract high-level partners. When you move, you create gravity. It pulls resources, relationships, and reinforcement toward you. People are inspired by those who are already in motion.
Of course, we all have barriers, the ‘soothing cases’ we make to stay still. These narratives are often driven by a fear of failure or a misguided obsession with perfection.
- "I’m too busy." This is usually a statement of priority, not capacity. We find time for the things we fear less than the things we need to do.
- "I’m not ready." If you wait until you are 100% ready, the window of opportunity has likely closed. Readiness is a state achieved during the process, not before it.
- "The problem is too large." This is the ultimate rationalisation for passivity. If the problem is ‘global’, then my ‘local’ action feels meaningless. But every global shift, from the abolition of slavery to the digital revolution, began with individuals acting within their own small sphere of influence.
Passivity is usually a cop-out that avoids the discomfort of the first step while pretending to be wise. We tell ourselves we are being "deliberate" when we are actually just procrastinating.
I propose strengthening ourselves for action by mastering the first step. The first step requires the most thrust, or ‘escape velocity’, to get us moving. Think of a rocket sitting on a launchpad. It consumes the vast majority of its fuel just to break the first few inches of gravity. Once it is in motion, maintaining that speed requires far less energy.
BIOGRAPHY
To build this momentum:
- Set a real deadline: Put a date on the first step to remove room for procrastination.
- Add social accountability: We are social creatures. We hate letting others down more than we hate letting ourselves down. Tell trusted friends what you’ll do and by when.
- Break things down: Break the big goal into steps so small they feel almost trivial to complete. A ‘career change’ is a terrifying goal. ‘Updating a resume’ is a manageable task.
- Act before you feel ready: Perfectionism is just procrastination with an impressive goal. Start with what you know now and what you control; the next step will reveal itself once you’ve taken the first one.
- Practice “yes” in low-risk moments: If you can't decide where to eat or whether to take a new class, practice making the decision quickly. Train the muscle so you can move decisively when the stakes are high.
Theodore Roosevelt’s “Man in the Arena” speech gives the real credit to the person who shows up and tries, not the critic on the sidelines. The critic is safe, opinionated, and ultimately forgotten. The doer is ‘in the arena’, risking failure, getting ‘dust and sweat and blood’ on their face.
Step into that arena. The wrong habit is to dream and fail to follow through, to stay on the sidelines endlessly preparing, planning, or waiting for the perfect moment. That choice leaves your potential locked inside, your purpose unfulfilled, and your courage untested.
True growth comes only when you step forward. Action is what separates dreaming from experience. You can’t simply read about courage; you must practice it in motion. No one else will swoop in to rescue you from inaction. It’s your responsibility to chase your aspirations, set new goals, and create momentum, even if and when the next step feels small.
The history of the world is not a story of inevitable forces; it is a collection of the actions of ordinary people who decided that "now" was the time. It’s the same with each of us, for the better lives we all seek. People like Rosa Parks have led the way. All we need to do is follow.
Christopher O.H. Williams is a former Fortune 500 executive who serves as a business consultant, executive mentor, board director, and public speaker on strategy and transformation. With 30 years of experience, his career has spanned four continents and included senior corporate and management roles at Nike, Adidas, Goldman Sachs, Gap, VF Corporation, and Lehman Brothers. Christopher is also the best-selling author of C.O.U.R.A.G.E., an empowering guide that combines real-life stories, personal experiences, important concepts, and practical steps and tools for taking action, reaching your potential, and leading an authentic life free from regret.
“The history of the world is not a story of inevitable forces; it is a collection of the actions of ordinary people who decided that ‘now’ was the time.”
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From Promise to Proof:
How Outcome-Driven and AI-Enabled
MBA Education is Redefining Business School Rankings
Dr Bert Wolfs
For over half a century, the MBA has been the pinnacle of management education. It has signified ambition, analytical competence, and leadership potential across industries and continents. Yet today, the MBA is undergoing one of the most profound transformations in its history. Rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI),
accelerating digitalisation, geopolitical uncertainty, and growing demands for accountability have reshaped society’s expectations of business leaders and, by extension, business schools. Reputation and curriculum breadth alone no longer suffice. Students, employers, accreditors, and ranking bodies are converging on a far more demanding question:
What measurable outcomes does an MBA deliver, and how effectively does it prepare leaders for an AI-driven world?
The future of MBA education is being defined by a shift from promise to proof.
The End of Input-Based Prestige
For decades, business schools were primarily evaluated on inputs, including faculty credentials, research output, curriculum structure, and institutional brand. These indicators remain important, but they no longer capture what matters most in an era defined by disruption and accountability.
Outcome-driven education represents a structural change in how MBA value is understood. Rather than focusing on what is taught, leading schools now ask:
- What capabilities do graduates demonstrably possess?
- How effectively can they apply knowledge in complex, technology-enabled environments?
- How do their careers and leadership responsibilities evolve?
- What tangible value do they create for organisations and society?
This evolution reflects broader shifts in higher education, professional accreditation, and labour markets, in which data, transparency, and demonstrable impact increasingly determine credibility.
Why Outcomes and AI Now Define MBA Relevance
Three forces are accelerating this transformation: First, the professionalisation of management in the age of AI. Managers are no longer competing solely based on experience or intuition. They are expected to work alongside intelligent systems, interpret data responsibly, and make strategic decisions augmented by algorithms. The modern MBA must therefore validate not only managerial knowledge, but also AI literacy, ethical judgment, and decision-making capability.
Second, changing student expectations. Today’s MBA candidates, often experienced professionals, approach education as a strategic investment. They demand clarity on return: leadership readiness, career
mobility, digital fluency, and long-term relevance. AI has heightened expectations for personalisation, applicability, and speed of learning.
Third, the evolution of rankings and accreditation. Ranking bodies and accreditors are steadily shifting toward outcomes, employability, and impact metrics. Schools that cannot evidence learning effectiveness, graduate performance, and technological readiness risk losing visibility in an increasingly competitive global market.
Defining Meaningful MBA Outcomes in an AI-Driven Economy
Outcome-driven MBA education requires precision in defining what success means. Leading institutions increasingly structure outcomes across four integrated dimensions.
Career and professional outcomes extend beyond first-job placement and salary growth. Schools now track career progression, role transformation, entrepreneurial activity, and resilience across industries reshaped by automation and digitalisation. Longitudinal alumni data, often supported by AI-enabled analytics, has become essential to understanding real impact.
Capability and skill outcomes reflect a redefinition of managerial competence. Alongside strategy and finance, graduates must demonstrate data-informed decisionmaking, AI literacy for non-technical leaders, crossfunctional thinking, and ethical governance of technology. These capabilities are assessed through applied projects, simulations, and decision-based evaluations rather than traditional examinations.
Organisational and societal impact is increasingly central. MBA graduates are expected to contribute to digital transformation, sustainability initiatives, and responsible innovation within their organisations. Employer feedback, consulting outcomes, and impact narratives now form part of credible outcome evidence.
Personal and leadership development remains fundamental. In an AI-augmented world, human qualities, such as self-awareness, adaptability, ethical reasoning, and emotional intelligence, have become more valuable, not less. Schools are increasingly measuring these dimensions through reflective assessments, leadership diagnostics, and longitudinal feedback.
“Reputation alone no longer suffices; the defining question for MBA education is what measurable outcomes graduates actually deliver.”
From Assurance of Learning to Assurance of Impact
Measurement lies at the heart of outcome-driven education, but it must be meaningful rather than bureaucratic. Leading business schools are moving beyond traditional assurance-of-learning models toward frameworks that ensure impact.
These systems integrate direct assessments, employer evaluations, alumni tracking, and external benchmarks. AI is increasingly used to analyse patterns, identify capability gaps, and inform continuous curriculum improvement. Importantly, outcome data is not collected solely for reporting purposes; it is also used to inform andragogy, faculty development, and programme design.
The result is a shift from compliance-driven measurement to institution-wide learning intelligence.
How AI Is Reshaping the MBA Curriculum
AI is not merely an additional subject in the MBA curriculum; it is a foundational force reshaping how management education is designed and delivered.
Rather than focusing on technical coding skills, leading MBA programmes treat AI as a general-purpose managerial capability. AI is embedded across various disciplines, including strategy, marketing, finance, operations, and leadership, examining how executives make decisions with the aid of intelligent systems.
Curriculum innovations include AI-powered simulations, data-driven case analysis, personalised learning pathways, and integrated ethical frameworks that address algorithmic bias, governance, and accountability. The objective is not technological fluency for its own sake but sound judgment in environments where human and machine intelligence interact.
Teaching for Transfer, Not Recall
If outcomes are the destination, andragogy must ensure the transferability of learning. Traditional lecturecentric models struggle to deliver measurable managerial capability in complex environments.
High-impact MBA programmes now emphasise experiential learning, live consulting projects, interdisciplinary problem-solving, and simulation-based decision environments. AI-enabled tools enable students to test strategies, observe consequences, and reflect on
decision processes in ways previously impossible.
The focus shifts from knowledge accumulation to capability activation: the ability to perform under uncertainty, complexity, and technological augmentation.
Rankings: From Reputation to Evidence
Rankings remain influential, but their underlying logic is changing. Reputation-based indicators are increasingly complemented by metrics such as employability, salary progression, alumni satisfaction, learning effectiveness, and digital readiness.
For business schools, this evolution presents both risk and opportunity. Institutions that invest in outcome measurement and AI-enabled education gain strategic clarity and credible differentiation. Those who rely solely on historical prestige face growing scrutiny.
Outcome-driven education enables schools to tell a coherent, evidence-based story aligned with ranking methodologies and stakeholder expectations.
Implications for Students, Executives, and Institutions
For students, outcome-driven, AI-enabled MBA education offers transparency and empowerment. The MBA becomes not a collection of courses but a documented transformation.
For employers and executives, it restores confidence in the MBA as a signal of readiness for contemporary leadership challenges.
For institutions, it demands strategic leadership, cultural change, and sustained investment, but offers longterm relevance in return.
Conclusion: The MBA’s Next Era
The next era of MBA education will not be defined by who claims excellence, but by who can demonstrate it: credibly, consistently, and measurably.
Outcome-driven, AI-enabled education represents a maturation of business education itself, aligning academics with market relevance, technological capability with human judgment, and individual success with societal value.
The MBA’s future is no longer about prestige alone. It is about proof of impact in a rapidly changing world. Continue to have fun with learning and teaching while adding value.
BIOGRAPHY
Dr Bert Wolfs is the Academic Dean of SBS Swiss Business School, Kloten-Zurich, Switzerland.
“Outcome-driven MBA education shifts the focus from what is taught to what graduates can demonstrably apply in complex, AI-enabled environments.”
An Economy on High Alert: Power Skills for Leadership in Turbulent Times
Margarita Núñez Canal
Senior leadership teams are lifting their eyes from the spreadsheets to look at the map. At the start of 2026, commercial and political tensions are reshaping strategy through rising costs, shifting timelines and, above all, a growing loss of predictability in the economic and regulatory frameworks that underpin healthy trade relationships. US tariff policy has returned to centre stage, with measures affecting critical technology components, including AIlinked semiconductors, directly impacting supply chains and investment decisions. At the same time, conflict and sanctions are spilling over into the commercial arena, as warnings of ‘secondary’ tariffs threaten to ensnare companies and countries beyond the immediate dispute.
Across the world, political uncertainty is once again dominating headlines, with potential repercussions for resources and regional stability. In Europe, the Russia–Ukraine conflict continues to cast a long shadow, while in Latin America recent developments in Venezuela have heightened concern. Elsewhere, Greenland has emerged as a symbol of the new strategic contest over routes, resources and positioning, a reminder that global competition is no longer an abstract framework but an operational reality. Europe, too, is moving pieces. The EU–Mercosur agreement is advancing institutionally, opening up opportunities while also triggering sectorspecific debates with local producers, alongside fresh political tensions that may redefine the rules of the game for markets, standards and value chains.
The prevailing sense is not of an economy stabilising, but of one being reconfigured. The IMF and OECD foresee moderate global growth in 2026, yet both flag a growing list of risks that condition any credible three-year plan. The World Economic Forum captures what many CEOs are already experiencing first-hand. We are entering a new ‘age of competition’, in which geostrategic confrontation over economic and commercial resources ranks among the most significant short-term risks.
In this context, the Business for Peace initiative, launched in 2013 by the United Nations Global Compact, feels particularly relevant. Originally created to mobilise the private sector in high-tension contexts and risk zones, it now speaks to a much broader reality. Many companies operate under similar dynamics of polarisation, disinformation, reputational pressure
and geoeconomic friction, even outside traditional conflict zones.
In practice, this new context demands that businesses do more than simply comply or mitigate risks. They are increasingly expected to help sustain socially stable markets, in the workplace, in the marketplace and in communities, by raising standards, strengthening transparency and accountability, and redefining the ethical frameworks that guide decisionmaking under pressure. In parallel, business schools are expected to develop leaders capable of doing exactly that. Executives need the judgement to decide in turbulent environments, the competence to govern technology without losing their ethical compass, and the power skills required to build co-operation where the context pushes towards confrontation.
AI and Cybersecurity: The Accelerator That Makes Poor Governance More Expensive
Artificial intelligence has added a new layer of speed and exposure. McKinsey reports that 65% of organisations are already using generative AI regularly, a leap that helps explain why so many companies are rewriting processes while simultaneously trying to govern them. That pace, however, comes at a cost. Gartner anticipates that at least 30% of genAI projects will be abandoned after the pilot phase rather than scaled, due to data-quality issues, insufficient controls, cost pressures or a lack of clarity around value. When AI enters the domain of operational risk, IBM warns of an ‘AI oversight gap’ and points to control and policy weaknesses in organisations that have already experienced AI-related incidents.
Cybersecurity, meanwhile, continues to
“Power skills are the capabilities that allow strategy to survive uncertainty.”
remind us that the weakest link is not the firewall, but behaviour. The Verizon DBIR 2024 indicates that 68% of breaches include a human component. In a landscape where social engineering campaigns, deepfakes and reputational pressure are proliferating, protocols are necessary but insufficient without the clarity, habits, communication and responsibility that underpin them.
This is where so-called power skills become something very concrete. They function as a mechanism of practical governance, not as ‘soft skills’, but as capabilities that reduce the cost of error and increase safe speed.
Power Skills: The Capability That Protects Strategy
Power skills are the capabilities that allow strategy to survive uncertainty. They include the judgement to interpret contradictory signals, the critical thinking required to challenge assumptions, the influence needed to align teams with competing priorities, the resilience to sustain performance without burning out talent, and the ethical framework that prevents pressure from normalising risky shortcuts. They are the difference between reacting to headlines and building consistent responses.
In a turbulent economy marked by external uncertainty and internal insecurity, leadership is no longer just about optimisation. It is about making good decisions when information is incomplete and when each decision carries commercial, regulatory and reputational implications at once. This is why many organisations are redesigning their talent maps. It is no longer enough to train technical profiles alone. Organisations need leaders who can translate technology into decisions, and decisions into coordinated execution.
What to Change in a Business School When the World Changes
When the environment becomes volatile and unpredictable, executive education that truly adds value is the kind that trains the ‘decision muscle’, not the kind that simply refreshes content. It teaches leaders to stay alert, to pay attention to how the world is moving, and to understand, analyse and evaluate those movements using data, macroeconomic knowledge and sensitivity to the full range of variables that affect both the market and the organisation.
This is where the role of a high-level business school becomes clearer. It brings the world into the classroom as it is, with tariffs that redraw cost structures, treaties that reorder markets, tensions that raise country risk, and AI that accelerates exposure, and turns it into practical learning.
At Nebrija Business & Technology School, adaptation is part of everyday life in the programme. The issues placing today’s leaders under pressure, including geoeconomics, technology supply chains, AI governance, cyber risk, reputation and applied ethics, are not treated as ‘trends’, but as variables that shape cases, debates and inclass decisions. The value lies in how faculty, drawing on professional experience, require students to argue, prioritise, measure impact and defend decisions under uncertainty. The methodology reinforces this approach. The Generative Learning model is built around cases, challenges and projects, specifically to train judgement and execution, where many transformations ultimately fail.
That combination of technology, skills and contextual knowledge is particularly meaningful right now. Nebrija’s humanistic identity is not decorative. It elevates the executive conversation from “Which tool should I implement?” to “Which decisions
“Executive education that truly adds value is the kind that trains the ‘decision muscle’, not the kind that simply refreshes content.”
legitimise my growth?” This bridge is further strengthened through connections with real ecosystems. Collaboration with Microsoft Spain, for example, integrates tools and certifications such as Azure, Copilot and Power BI into programmes linked to AI and analytics. This approach meets market expectations without losing focus on governance and judgement. In parallel, responsibility is embedded institutionally. Nebrija is a PRME signatory, aligning education and purpose with international standards for responsible management. Ultimately, in a turbulent era, businesses are not only looking for specialists. They
are looking for complete leaders. Leaders capable of sustaining co-operation when the context pushes towards confrontation, communicating with credibility when the noise rises, and governing technology without losing meaning. That, and not a slogan, is what makes power skills the most strategic asset of the moment. It is also what makes the best business schools part of the solution, not only to compete more effectively, but to build organisations that are more trustworthy, more responsible and, by extension, more stabilising in a world that urgently needs less friction and more leadership.
BIOGRAPHY
Margarita Núñez Canal is Senior Lecturer in Business Organisation and Academic Director at Nebrija Business & Technology School.
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How CEOs Prepare Their Business for Sale, and Why Most Leave Value Behind
Chris Spratling
Whether you are the founder-owner of a business or a CEO appointed to lead on behalf of shareholders, preparing a company for sale is one of the most defining leadership challenges you will face. It is the ultimate test of stewardship, strategy and legacy and, when done well, it can deliver life-changing outcomes.
Yet the statistics are sobering. Around 65% of businesses that go to market never sell, and of those that do, three-quarters of owners regret the outcome within 12 months. Deals collapse, valuations disappoint, and too often, hard-earned value is left on the table.
The reason is rarely market timing or bad luck. It is preparation.
Value is not created in the sale process; it is realised there. The earlier a CEO prepares, the greater their control, confidence and outcome. Those who succeed do not negotiate better deals, they build better businesses long before a buyer appears.
Drawing on over three decades of leading and advising SME and mid-market transactions, here is how CEOs, both founder and employed, can prepare their business for a sale that delivers on every level.
Step 1: Redefine Your Role Before You Sell
One of the most common deal-breakers in any transaction is overdependence on the CEO. Buyers are not looking to purchase an individual; they are looking to acquire an organisation that can operate without that individual at its centre.
For an owner-CEO, this means professionalising leadership so the business thrives independently of daily involvement. For an employed CEO, it means demonstrating to investors and the board that succession, stability and culture endure beyond your tenure.
Ask yourself:
- Could the business run effectively for three months without me?
- Who makes the critical decisions when I am not present?
- Do clients, suppliers and staff trust the wider leadership team, or only me?
If the honest answers point to dependence, value is at risk.
The objective is to build an enterprise that is processdriven rather than personality-led. Buyers consistently pay a premium for businesses that operate seamlessly without the CEO sitting at the centre of every decision. Succession, in this context, is not an HR exercise; it is a strategic enabler of value.
“Buyers rarely walk away because they dislike the story. They walk away because they discover something they were not told.”
Step 2: Focus on
the True
Drivers of Value
Valuation does not happen by chance. It is the outcome of disciplined decisions taken over years, not months.
While many factors influence value, five consistently make the greatest impact:
- Recurring revenues: Predictable, contracted or subscription-based income streams increase buyer confidence in future cash flow.
- Diversified client base: No single customer should account for more than 10% of turnover. Concentration risk is an immediate red flag.
- Protected intellectual property and processes: Trademarks, proprietary software and defensible systems signal competitive advantage.
- Robust financial controls: Clean, timely and transparent financials reassure buyers that performance is sustainable.
- Scalable infrastructure: Growth potential without disproportionate reinvestment is highly attractive. For owner-CEOs, these drivers often mark the difference between a comfortable exit and a transformational one. For professional CEOs, they underpin shareholder trust and leadership credibility.
One practical step is to commission an independent exit readiness review. This forensic assessment reveals the gaps a buyer would identify and gives leadership time to address them well before due diligence begins. Preparation does not just reduce risk; it multiplies value.
Step 3: Understand and Anticipate Your Buyer
Not all buyers value the same things. Some prioritise revenue streams, others strategic fit, intellectual property or market access. Understanding your most likely buyer type early allows you to shape the business accordingly.
Common buyer profiles include trade buyers, private equity firms, management buyouts, employee ownership structures and long-term private investors. Each values different attributes, from synergy and integration potential to scalable systems, leadership depth and cultural continuity.
The CEO’s role is to align preparation with what each buyer group values most. Thinking like a buyer long before one appears enables smarter positioning. When alignment exists, valuation follows.
Step 4: Orchestrate Competitive Tension
The strongest exits rarely involve a single suitor. Multiple qualified buyers create competitive tension, which drives valuation, improves terms and accelerates timelines.
For owner-CEOs, this requires resisting the emotional pull of the first attractive offer. For employed CEOs, it means demonstrating strategic rigour to shareholders by maximising market appetite.
Competitive tension does not happen by chance. It requires a carefully selected shortlist of strategically aligned buyers, a compelling and evidence-based investment narrative, and skilled advisers to manage confidentiality while sustaining momentum.
An auction mindset, even in a controlled process, protects value. The difference between one offer and several competing bidders is often not marginal, but material.
Step 5: Prepare Meticulously for Due Diligence
If competitive tension accelerates value, due diligence tests it.
This is where many deals falter. Buyers scrutinise contracts, compliance, liabilities and operational systems to confirm that what they have been told is accurate and sustainable.
For owner-CEOs, informal arrangements and historical shortcuts must be addressed early. Contracts need to be documented, intellectual property correctly held, and compliance watertight. For professional CEOs, thorough preparation signals leadership credibility as much as it protects value.
Buyers rarely walk away because they dislike the story. They walk away because they discover something they were not told.
“The real role of the CEO is to build an organisation that is always saleable.”
Step 6: Build the Right Advisory Team
No CEO navigates an exit alone. The process is complex, technical and emotionally charged.
A strong advisory team typically includes corporate finance specialists, legal advisers and tax and wealth planners. The CEO’s responsibility is not to abdicate control, but to orchestrate expertise, align advisers and maintain clarity of direction.
Advisers bring experience. CEOs bring vision and accountability. The outcome depends on both.
Step 7: Never Underestimate the Human Factor
Exit readiness is not purely a financial exercise; it is deeply human.
For owner-CEOs, selling a business they built can trigger a profound identity shift. Many experience regret not because of the deal terms, but because they failed to plan for what comes next. Years spent being “the business” make transition difficult if the personal future has not been thought through.
For employed CEOs, the questions are different but no less significant. What does this transaction say about my leadership? Will I remain post-sale to guide integration, or is this the moment to transition? Defining personal success, and negotiating it early, is a critical part of exit preparation.
The most successful CEOs plan for the “day after” as deliberately as they plan the deal itself. Doing so reduces regret and allows leaders to navigate the process with clarity and composure.
Step 8: Start Earlier Than You Think
If there is one universal truth about successful exits, it is this: you cannot start too early, but you can start too late.
The best-prepared businesses embed sale-readiness into their culture years before they ever go to market. Clean financials, autonomous leadership, scalable systems and minimal dependence on key individuals create optionality, whether the outcome is a sale, a refinancing or continued independent growth.
Starting early does not commit you to an exit. It gives you control.
Treat preparation like marathon training rather than a sprint. Slow, deliberate progress compounds over time and pays off when it matters most.
Beyond the Hype: The CEO’s Real Role in an Exit
For most businesses, success is not about headlinegrabbing valuations. It is about execution.
The real role of the CEO is to build an organisation that is always saleable, one that could change hands tomorrow without disruption. That is leadership.
Face the numbers. Build independence from your leadership shadow. Systemise growth. Orchestrate competition. Start earlier than feels necessary.
Do this, and a successful exit becomes not an event, but the natural outcome of disciplined leadership over time.
Because when the moment comes, there is rarely a second chance to get it right.
BIOGRAPHY
Chris Spratling is founder of Chalkhill Blue, an entrepreneur, business coach and author of The Exit Roadmap: The Insider’s Guide to Selling Your Business Profitably. He advises CEOs and founders across the UK on growth, succession and exit strategy.
“The most successful CEOs plan for the ‘day after’ as deliberately as they plan the deal itself.”
● AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF BUSINESS
DCB CONTRIBUTORS
● NATHAN BENNETT
● MARGARITA NÚÑEZ CANAL
● DEAKIN UNIVERSITY
I
● INSEAD
● ISEG
● ÉCOLE DES PONTS BUSINESS SCHOOL
● THEODOROS EVGENIOU
● EU BUSINESS SCHOOL K R
● KENNESAW STATE UNIVERSITY
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● PETER NATHANIAL
● NEBRIJA BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY SCHOOL
● RMIT UNIVERSITY
● ALON ROZEN
● SBS SWISS BUSINESS SCHOOL
● CHRIS SPRATLING
T
● TORRENS UNIVERSITY AUSTRALIA
● CHRISTOPHER O.H. WILLIAMS
● BERT WOLFS
