How and When Do We Sort the Apples—If We Can?
This month's column resulted in a number of suggestions for sorting out the "bad apples" among applicants to MBA programs across the country. But just as many respondents questioned the underlying assumptions of the column.
Many respondents expressed the view that while care might be taken in admissions to sort out the "bad apples," the primary responsibility of business schools is to provide a place where ethics and values can be discussed by all, rather than just those clearing some admissions hurdle regarding values. As Mike McCarthy put it, "... it is very presumptuous for business schools ... to feel they should 'weed out' or 'license' the moral credentials of students." Alexander Magoun echoed this view when he asked, "Would it not benefit society and corporate culture as a whole if these individuals, who will doubtless pursue a career in business in any event, were socialized in corporate ethics courses with the rest of the world's best and brightest?" Others objected to the assumption that teaching values to adults is difficult at best and impossible at worst. Sven Bislev commented, "'teaching values to adults is done every day. Not so well by us in the business school field, but in the training of genuine people-handlers like nurses and social workers."
| Many respondents expressed the view that while care might be taken in admissions to sort out the "bad apples," the primary responsibility of business schools is to provide a place where ethics and values can be discussed by all, rather than just those clearing some admissions hurdle regarding values. |
| — James Heskett |
Others responded to questions posed (whether or not they accepted the underlying assumptions) more directly. This resulted in an interesting list of suggestions, including: 1) designing "a practicum where MBA students [with a focus] on ethics ... practice ... hiring/interviewing skills ... by interviewing 'short list' candidates that are being strongly considered for admission by the school." (Ted Ruddock); 2) "... look[ing] for a person's commitment to service outside of their profession ... as good an indication as any of a person's commitment to more than just achieving status and making money" (Tammy Doty); 3) encouraging a school's admissions group to "focus inward and nurture in its own people and systems the kind of qualities that it wants to see in its students." (Umar Khalid); and 4) suggesting that "letters of recommendation ... comment on the applicant's exercise of leadership or judgement in an ethical situation." (Jasper Ho)
Those who appeared to have responsibilities associated with the sorting process in industry were generally more sympathetic to business school admissions offices and the Herculean task they face in taking values into consideration in admissions. As Linda Abraham said, "Considering that ... time devoted to evaluation is so limited, admission offices do an admirable job of separating out the bad apples. However, assigning them the job of 'first line of defense' reminds me of expecting the cavalry to defend against a blitzkrieg."
It is admittedly difficult to know whether admissions practices in place today will produce the desired results twenty years from now. But is it unreasonable to expect continued efforts to improve the quality of the process with regard to personal values? Or should a greater effort be made to identify the "bad apples" after they are admitted and sort them out as part of the educational effort? Failing both of these, should we, as someone suggested, strip MBA degrees, once awarded, from recipients who later prove unworthy of the designation? What do you think?