# What is it that they still don't teach you at Business Schools?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-that-they-still-dont-teach-you-at-business-schools/583119
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [May 25, 2011, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-that-they-still-dont-teach-you-at-business-schools/583119 "2011-05-25T05:40:01Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Indian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indian)
#### Post date: [May 25, 2011, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-that-they-still-dont-teach-you-at-business-schools/583119/1 "2011-05-25T05:40:01Z")
Harvard or anywhere?
---
### Author:  [@Indian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indian)
#### Post date: [May 25, 2011, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-that-they-still-dont-teach-you-at-business-schools/583119/2 "2011-05-25T13:43:49Z")
Paging doper MBAs .
---
### Author:  [@Dahnlor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dahnlor)
#### Post date: [May 25, 2011, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-that-they-still-dont-teach-you-at-business-schools/583119/3 "2011-05-25T13:52:30Z")
Creationism.
---
### Author:  [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)
#### Post date: [May 25, 2011, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-that-they-still-dont-teach-you-at-business-schools/583119/4 "2011-05-25T14:19:00Z")
Cellular mitosis. Etruscan pottery methods. Feminist deconstruction of the works of Shakespeare.
---
### Author:  [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)
#### Post date: [May 25, 2011, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-that-they-still-dont-teach-you-at-business-schools/583119/5 "2011-05-25T15:05:31Z")
I think that the things that they could have spent more time profitably would have been more time on organizational behavior and intra-office interactions, and some actual training in management.
We learned all sorts of high level nifty stuff like how to value companies and identifying ones to buy, but we didn’t really learn any leadership or project management to speak of. Nor did we get much training in how to negotiate office politics or anything like that.
---
### Author:  [@Reno\_Nevada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reno_Nevada)
#### Post date: [May 25, 2011, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-that-they-still-dont-teach-you-at-business-schools/583119/6 "2011-05-25T15:37:55Z")
I got leadership and project management, because that was the sub-discipline that I concentrated on, but it was not necessarily in the core curriculum. Not much on office politics.
We were not required to take a Business Ethics class 🙂
---
### Author:  [@Algher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algher)
#### Post date: [May 25, 2011, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-that-they-still-dont-teach-you-at-business-schools/583119/7 "2011-05-25T16:03:40Z")
I think most subjects are touched on, but sometimes not as deep as some would like.
At my school, ethics was “part of” every class. Sometimes it was just lip service, sometimes it was a core part, sometimes it was a debate on what is ethical. It really depended on the faculty member.
An important thing to remember is that while it might be an MBA program, for most schools it is a collection of classes that are owned and run by the individual faculty members. Thou shalt not tell a faculty member what to teach.
My school closed with a Leadership residential that got into personality types, office politics, goal setting, etc. For some it was the best part, for others it was a fuzzy waste of time.
---
### Author:  [@Turble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turble)
#### Post date: [May 25, 2011, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-that-they-still-dont-teach-you-at-business-schools/583119/8 "2011-05-25T16:43:19Z")
That more business is done and more career ladder climbing achieved on golf courses than in offices.
---
### Author:  [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)
#### Post date: [May 25, 2011, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-that-they-still-dont-teach-you-at-business-schools/583119/9 "2011-05-25T16:46:49Z")
Humility.
---
### Author:  [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)
#### Post date: [May 25, 2011, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-that-they-still-dont-teach-you-at-business-schools/583119/10 "2011-05-25T17:10:18Z")
> [@bump](#):
>
> I think that the things that they could have spent more time profitably would have been more time on organizational behavior and intra-office interactions, and some actual training in management.
>
> We learned all sorts of high level nifty stuff like how to value companies and identifying ones to buy, but we didn’t really learn any leadership or project management to speak of. Nor did we get much training in how to negotiate office politics or anything like that.
I’m working on my MBA right now and I would say the exact opposite of the program I’m in. I’m only about 1/3 of the way through, but so far my profs have been awesome at explaining OB, negotiation tactics, ethics, etc. What I haven’t seen much of is quantitative analysis. Hopefully it’s coming.
---
### Author:  [@ladyfoxfyre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ladyfoxfyre)
#### Post date: [May 25, 2011, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-that-they-still-dont-teach-you-at-business-schools/583119/11 "2011-05-25T17:39:52Z")
> [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](#):
>
> I’m working on my MBA right now and I would say the exact opposite of the program I’m in. I’m only about 1/3 of the way through, but so far my profs have been awesome at explaining OB, negotiation tactics, ethics, etc. What I haven’t seen much of is quantitative analysis. Hopefully it’s coming.
It is definitely coming. A lot of it depends on the structure of your program, but you will have the basic organizational development, business law, financial accounting, econ, finance, etc. My program had ethics issues sprinkled in the program but not a strict business ethics class, but I would agree that there was not a lot of focus on effective management techniques.
---
### Author:  [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)
#### Post date: [May 26, 2011, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-that-they-still-dont-teach-you-at-business-schools/583119/12 "2011-05-26T16:14:58Z")
We got a pretty good grounding in ethics, but I came out no more prepared to actually lead and manage people than when I went in.
I’m starting to believe that in many ways, the success or failure of a company isn’t in the strength of your numbers or even always in how great your strategy is, but rather in the people you hire, and how you hire the right people and cultivate their success in such a way that their success is your success.
Business schools don’t really teach that- it seems to be a very Jack Welch-style numbers game that is taught, and I’m not convinced that’s where long term success is at.
---
### Author:  [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)
#### Post date: [May 26, 2011, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-that-they-still-dont-teach-you-at-business-schools/583119/13 "2011-05-26T17:35:27Z")
> [@ladyfoxfyre](#):
>
> It is definitely coming. A lot of it depends on the structure of your program, but you will have the basic organizational development, business law, financial accounting, econ, finance, etc. My program had ethics issues sprinkled in the program but not a strict business ethics class, but I would agree that there was not a lot of focus on effective management techniques.
I thought you went to pharmacy school. 😕
---
### Author:  [@Rand\_Rover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rand_Rover)
#### Post date: [May 26, 2011, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-that-they-still-dont-teach-you-at-business-schools/583119/14 "2011-05-26T17:47:59Z")
Arguably, what a business school won’t teach you is anything that actually increases your chances of long-term success. There are articles galore arguing that the outcomes of those with an MBA are not appreciably different than the outcomes of those without.
---
### Author:  [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)
#### Post date: [May 26, 2011, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-that-they-still-dont-teach-you-at-business-schools/583119/15 "2011-05-26T19:33:32Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#):
>
> Humility.
Corollary - Don’t be a jerk.
---
### Author:  [@ladyfoxfyre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ladyfoxfyre)
#### Post date: [May 26, 2011, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-that-they-still-dont-teach-you-at-business-schools/583119/16 "2011-05-26T19:35:54Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#):
>
> I thought you went to pharmacy school. 😕
No, I work in the pharmacy & medical field, but I went back to school to get my MBA.
---
### Author:  [@otternell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/otternell)
#### Post date: [May 26, 2011, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-that-they-still-dont-teach-you-at-business-schools/583119/17 "2011-05-26T19:46:43Z")
> [@Rand\_Rover](#):
>
> Arguably, what a business school won’t teach you is anything that actually increases your chances of long-term success. There are articles galore arguing that the outcomes of those with an MBA are not appreciably different than the outcomes of those without.
I’d be interested in an article of this nature, if you happen to recall when you saw it. I couldn’t find anything that sounded like this googling a couple different phrases.
---
### Author:  [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)
#### Post date: [May 26, 2011, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-that-they-still-dont-teach-you-at-business-schools/583119/18 "2011-05-26T20:59:11Z")
> [@Rand\_Rover](#):
>
> Arguably, what a business school won’t teach you is anything that actually increases your chances of long-term success.
Things like drive, focus, discipline, good decision making, appropriate risk tolerance, etc…
---
### Author:  [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)
#### Post date: [May 26, 2011, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-that-they-still-dont-teach-you-at-business-schools/583119/19 "2011-05-26T21:33:05Z")
> [@Rand\_Rover](#):
>
> Arguably, what a business school won’t teach you is anything that actually increases your chances of long-term success. There are articles galore arguing that the outcomes of those with an MBA are not appreciably different than the outcomes of those without.
The analysis I’ve seen suggests that there is a big difference for those who go to top 10 programs, but it’s not clear that they succeed because of anything they learn there, or because of the characteristics they already have at admission.
---
### Author:  [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)
#### Post date: [May 26, 2011, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-that-they-still-dont-teach-you-at-business-schools/583119/20 "2011-05-26T21:59:03Z")
I went to a top tier school and my experience seems to be relective of **ultrafilters** article. The folks came to the school with great resumes and networking skills.
B-school is a craft school - is getting grounded in cooking basics for 2-3 years at a culinary academy everything you need to know to assume a variety of restaurant roles? Nah but it’s a good grounding. Think of b-school that way - an exposure to the tools and the traditional activities.
[Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-that-they-still-dont-teach-you-at-business-schools/583119.md?page=2)