The MBA (Master of Business Administration) is a postgraduate
degree that is awarded to students who have mastered the study of
business. Students of MBA programs study the theory and application
of business and management principles.
Such study would hugely benefit any IT person, and in particular
those in senior positions. An MBA is not, however, the only way to
attain a good grounding in core business and leadership skills.
There are a multitude of good books on business and leadership
to choose from. Articles from journals such as Harvard Business
Review are also an excellent source of information. Many Business
Schools have extensive executive education programmes and run a
wide variety of short courses aimed at equipping delegates with
specific skills. Many of these are aimed at a particular market
such as finance for non-financial managers or organisational
politics for IT managers.
I recently studied 20 IT professionals who had progressed beyond
the ranks of IT and reached the position of CEO. None of the 20 had
an MBA and yet all of them possessed a deep understanding and
interest in business matters even though they had originally
embarked on scientific/technical career paths. During their
formative years many had requested time in other areas of the
business to broaden their knowledge. Throughout their careers they
had constantly gone above and beyond their "IT" job descriptions
they had taken an interest in and got involved in business matters.
In the absence of business strategies in their respective
organisations a number had taken the initiative and seized the
opportunity to write both the business and IT strategies for their
organisations.
Will an additional qualification help?
The answer is possibly. It might open doors otherwise closed and
it might be the deciding factor over two equally good candidates
for a position. For other recruiters, and I include myself in this
category, possession of a degree or MBA would not be a major
consideration. Their prime focus would be on experience and
qualities such as interpersonal and influencing skills, being a
team player, common sense and integrity.
My advice
Broaden your skills' base. Spend some time, a year or two
preferably in your formative years, out of your normal background
and work in a different and challenging environment. A role such as
PA to the managing director or chairman would be ideal for example.
You would come out of the experience a different person, with
additional strengths, enhanced skills, a broad view of how the
organisation works as a whole and greater personal confidence. In
the words of one of the CEOs in my studies "IT people need to
develop the callused hands of life's experiences!"
Seek out and seize opportunities to operate outside your own
sphere of influence. Experiment, learn by your mistakes, grow and
gain confidence in doing new things. Read books and articles on
business, organisational development, leadership, innovation etc.
Get experience running other parts of the business, become a
generalist, a rounded business person. Demonstrate enthusiasm for
business matters and understand the psychology of the business.
Know where technology is taking the world understand the trends for
one's business and society in general. Tap into the sort of work
that Henley College does on future trends and INSEAD Business
School on long-range planning. Have an opinion on and contribution
to make in relation to every item on the board agenda.
Do an MBA by all means but do it for you and your own personal
development. Do not do it just to get a pay rise or a promotion. If
you do decide to do an MBA do not underestimate the commitment. If
you embark on a part time MBA you will need to juggle work, study
and family/personal commitments - one normally suffers as a result.
Full time is easier but then you will need to support yourself and
possibly a family for a year unless you are lucky enough to get
sponsorship. A full time MBA may also necessitate your living away
from home with all its potential advantages and disadvantages -
consider what this would mean for you.
On the flip side you will:
- learn a lot about business and yourself in a relatively short
period of time
- gain a well respected qualification
- become a member of a powerful network that may aid you for the
rest of your life
- make new friends
- have fun
The choice as ever is yours.
Robina Chatham, Managing Director of Robina Chatham Ltd and
Visiting Fellow at Cranfield School of Management
Case study
Ajay Burlingham-Böhr, Director of IT Strategy and Systems with
Anglia Ruskin University and formally Head of IS, RSPB
Ajay had reached the position of Head of IS for the RSPB. At
this level she told me that the bulk of her time was spent dealing
with issues such as organisational culture, business
strategy/alignment, customer processes and innovation from a
business perspective. Technical issues only consumed a fraction of
her time. At this point in time she came to the conclusion that
with her existing skill set she had no where to go beyond her
current position and therefore decided to embark on an MBA. Ajay
choose to study with the Open University, she committed around 14
hours per week for three years plus periodical study leave. She
believes the MBA has given her greater confidence, increased
knowledge and recognition as someone who understands business
matters. Since completing her MBA Ajay has moved to a bigger role
with Anglia Ruskin University.
Her advice:
- Don't underestimate the commitment in either time or
finances
- Pick your institution wisely - the more theoretical MBAs may
carry more academic weight but the more practical ones may be of
more use in the real world