There is, of course, considerable variation in employers’ attitudes towards Master’s programmes, and in what they seek in their managers. The following general trends suggest themselves, but treat them with caution!
There is still a residual caution in some quarters about MBAs in particular, with some employers still associating the qualification with arrogance, unrealistic salary demands and lack of both practical experience and common sense. This is now, however, a minority view. The rapid pace of change has made the possession of the analytical skills associated with Master’s-level study far more important, and most employers now welcome such a qualification.
Organisational environments have become far more turbulent in recent years, with fierce new competition, and major impacts from developing information and communication technologies. One response has been to ‘delayer’, stripping out whole layers of management. Another has been to outsource non-core areas of work.
Managers who have survived such restructuring are likely to have greater and more varied responsibility than previously, and may need to be very flexible in the way they operate. A formal management course which can increase the ability to operate in such an environment is therefore desirable. With delayering, all levels of management may need to be able to operate autonomously, flexibly and with an understanding of strategic issues, not just the ‘high-fliers’.
I quote but one employer, Nokia’s head of human resources, writing in one of the many publications (in this case Hobsons MBA Casebooks) designed to help you choose/sell you an MBA. As a rapidly growing international organisation, in one of the most turbulent markets of all, Nokia is well aware of the importance of good managers. They value MBAs because they give graduates a strategic perspective and wider vision
so that they are not seduced by short-term advantage into avenues that will threaten longer-term success. They value the interpersonal skills which allow total relationship management with customers, seen as crucial. They appreciate a high level of cultural awareness, which will enable managers to operate across the globe (I spoke recently to a Nokia manager whose team was spread across three continents, and many more countries). Lateral thinking, willingness to take early responsibility and ability to work under pressure were other advantages cited.
Employers tend to prefer their existing employees to study part-time, rather than sending them on a full-time programme. Apart from the obvious benefit of not needing to replace the manager, they fear (not without reason) that if they sponsor someone on a full-time course there is a real risk that that person will leave soon after completing the qualification.
When considering job applicants with a Master’s degree on their CV, the selection panel’s questions are likely to concern the reputation of the awarding institution, the nature of the programme and the level of marks gained. More importantly, potential employers will want to know how the learning has been used subsequently.
Many employers feel that their management development needs are unique, and can be met only by a specially designed organisation-specific programme. While such ‘corporate MBAs’ can be of a very high standard, they may fail to develop the breadth of view that is one of the advantages of an open programme, where you will probably learn as much from the varied organisational experience of fellow students as you will
from the teaching staff. A middle ground is the consortium MBA, specifically designed for a small number of different but collaborating organisations.
The manager’s view
Suffice it to say here that part of the growth in Master’s courses in business and management was driven by the job insecurity that has followed the radical organisational restructuring of the last 20 years or so. This forced many managers to realise that ‘a job for life’ no longer exists. Instead, they were likely to need to seek a new position several times during their career, against fierce competition. A qualification that would both help them compete for good jobs, and enable them to operate for periods of self-employment, therefore became very important.
The increased availability of part-time and distance learning courses made pursuit of a qualification a realistic possibility for many whose commitments meant that full-time study was simply not an option. This goes a long way to explaining the increasing age profile of management Master’s students, already described.
Read More : MBA on Manager And Employer Perspective
