An innovative MBA for tomorrow’s business leaders
What do you call intellectual and insightful business people who collaborate and engage intelligently together? “Henley MBA scholars,” chuckles Jon Foster-Pedley, dean and director of Henley Business School Africa.
In today’s ever changing global situation and sometimes fiscal uncertainty, organisations only survive and thrive because of strong leaders with integrity and sound judgement, “Who can manage innovatively, strategically and ethically,” says Foster-Pedley.
These qualities are critical to identify and capitalise on new opportunities arising from emerging economies, to maximise shareholder value, and to fuel future growth. It’s therefore imperative that managers be equipped with a proper skills set and maintain personal and professional development, exactly the reason why so many opt to obtain the Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree.
MBA is considered as one of the most prestigious and sought after degrees in the world. In some countries abroad, employers actually expect all personnel, from personal assistants to top executives, to have MBA certification, “Mostly for contextual understanding, strategic collaboration and dealing with complex issues,” says Foster-Pedley.
To be internationally competitive, South Africa’s leaders need to be confident, positive and skilled on all levels, and need to manage better with rigorous work ethics. But SA is operating under a somewhat repressive education system, leaving most pupils disempowered with the belief they lack the creativity and originality to excel.
Rather concerned about this fact, Foster-Pedley says, “I’m angry about the damage caused. Educators are supposed to unleash potential, teaching pupils to be more imaginative. Yes, absolutely enforce discipline. But also let them grow, trust they’re capable, develop their confidence, and allow them the opportunity to learn by themselves.”
According to Foster-Pedley, true confidence is to really know that you can learn your way through most things, to embrace optimism even in the face of great difficulty, and develop a sense of purpose delivered with courage and determination. “With appropriate encouragement and methods, the intellectual and creative transformations are nothing short of astounding,” smiles Foster-Pedley.
The Henley education is about channelling human potential. It’s about instilling confidence, empowering minds and identifying new frontier possibilities. “We all know we need discipline, coordination and intellect to be good leaders. Add initiative and you have a new level of competitiveness. Add creativity and passion, and you’re operating at a new level of ability.”
The lack of MBA certified people in SA might have an impact on the country’s leadership talent in future. However, “I’ve believed for a long time we’ve confused education with intelligence, and now we’re truly coming out of that. African people have all the talents, intelligence and capability of Americans, Asians and Europeans, and it’s about time we all really believe that.”
Already Henley has seen an improvement in the quality of applicants with a steady increase in the number of previously disadvantaged applicants. At 60% Henley is still not demographically representative, “But if you compare that figure to when I started teaching MBA in 1995, when only about 10% of the class was black people, it’s clear we’ve come a long way.”
Raised in England and Malaysia with a curious explorer’s mind and a background in aviation and aerospace, with over 30 years of global business experience, Foster-Pedley teams with highly experienced individuals. When he decided to enrol for MBA at Ashridge UK to sharpen his own axes, it was a total intellectual awakening, a reflective and provocative process with an epiphany of what one’s mind is capable of. MBA gave him a solid foundation and triggered a huge turning point in his life which inevitably led to teaching.
In 1995 he designed, launched and directed the successful UCT Executive MBA, became director of GSB Executive and Management Education, and reprised his interests in creativity and innovation. He developed ground-breaking courses under Creategy™ – the art of creative strategy, and developed an experimental MBA elective, ‘Strategy, Design and Creativity’, which rapidly became the most popular elective on the MBA. In 2011 he was appointed as dean of Henley Africa, the only internationally triple accredited (AMBA, EQUIS, AACSB) business school in Africa.
To date, Foster-Pedley has consulted and designed education and action learning processes in many industries for major international corporations, smaller companies, and government. He has hands-on experience in international sales and marketing, and leads multicultural sales and management teams.
Recently, he accompanied the Airports Company South Africa Limited (ACSA) team to identify opportunities, benchmarks, and competencies in China. In just two days, the team visited three of the biggest companies in the world, including Huawei. Foster-Pedley says, “China values social stability very highly and progresses at a phenomenal rate. Infrastructure development is at the forefront, thereby offering a huge capacity for businesses to grow quick.”
China considers Africa as ‘the growing lion’ and is eager to collaborate in sustainable business practises, “Which means good business for SA,” adds Foster-Pedley. “The Chinese operate within a huge established network and are intelligent, engaged, proud, motivated, respectful and polite with a strong perspective and sophistication in trade.”
He concludes that the general mentality around the BMA in SA needs to shift away from the stigma that it’s a family uprooter. For this reason, Henley imparts coping mechanisms and organises the delivery of its MBA programmes in such a way that busy executives in demanding jobs can readily integrate their studies with their work, whilst still keeping the desired connection with family. Henley is also the first business school worldwide to organise its teaching around real-world dilemmas and individual business choices, rather than by traditional academic disciplines.
Founded in 1945 with offices in UK, South Africa, Hong Kong, Finland and Germany, Henley offers exceptionally high-quality interaction and peer group learning. Henley has an impressive track record of growing leaders and developing managers with an active network of 30,000 alumni in senior management positions in 141 countries.
If the world perceives MBA as that brilliant, it should be available to everyone to create genuine business acumen on an international scale, and to build lasting sustainable relationships.
Word count: 1000
Written for: Capemedia | Leadership Magazine | Ed 1112 | Order 13030
Editor: Lindsay King
Deadline: 11 October 2012