According to Melissa Dingmon, a freelance Social Media Manager for GreenBiz.com and Director of Admissions and Systems Design, for Bainbridge Graduate Institute, the first skill that an MBA program should teach is systems thinking. A person should be concerned about the influence in nature and not in externalities. One decision influences systems thinking. Become more focused about the effects we experience from business decisions.

Sustainability is complementary to systems thinking. This is the second skill. Organizations are built on a broad, long-term vision and they should focus on this rather than short-term financials. Success then is redefined as having a positive or neutral effect on the environment, the community, and the economy.

MBA programs should teach a wide range of analytical skills. Business school curriculum must embrace a future of cooperation instead of competition and encourage transparency with all stakeholders, with all their strengths and weaknesses.
The purpose of management education is to prepare people to have a greater perspective of business. It’s only natural then that the future of management education focus on building teams who create products and services that meet human needs while maintaining social and environmental balance. Future business leaders should be transparent and wanting to cooperate with all their stakeholders.

By teaching MBAs to be conscious corporate and social citizens who are responsible for an organization, the environment and the community, that is the way to a better future for management education.

Communications is very important in the business world. Leaders must understand the value of corporate communications and MBA programs are slowly catching up to this fact, though not there yet. PR is playing a very prominent role in shaping the next generation of corporate leaders. Many years ago, messages were just put out there and people just listened to it. They did not engage with the news and definitely did not have the channels to amplify it. Social media and the 24/7 news channels have changed the situation. You cannot live in the corporate world today without being concerned about what the world thinks of your firm. Business schools were more focused on finance and operations.

Leaders of organizations who do not understand reputation management are at a disadvantage and there is an increase in the demand from companies and leaders with great communication skills. Nowadays many Wall Street companies have reputation management consultancies that take care of their communications and image. Who do the senior executives and leaders have to communicate to more effectively? To the public, to their employees and to their investors/stakeholders.

Business writing classes in an MBA Program is missing, that is, how to communicate professionally. Many classes require presentations, drafting memos or copywriting an advertisement.

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