Strategic Leadership in the Business School: Keeping One Step Ahead

Description

Business schools have come under fire in recent years with criticisms centring on their academic rigour and the relevance of business education to the 'real' world of management. Alongside this ongoing debate, increasing international competition and media rankings have led to a fierce struggle between business schools for positioning and differentiation. These are among the challenges that are faced by the Dean of the modern-day business school. In this book, Fernando Fragueiro and Howard Thomas show how Deans of business schools can meet such challenges in terms of strategic direction setting and the execution of their leadership role. Drawing on their invaluable experience as Deans of highly successful business schools, they present a series of case studies to show how leaders of five leading business schools (IMD, LBS, INSEAD, IAE and Warwick) have built effective strategies in the context of internal and external political pressures.

Fernando Fragueiro is Professor of the Organizational Behavior Academic Area and Director of the CEDI Research Center at IAE Business School in Buenos Aires. He has previously served as Dean of the IAE Business School (1995-2008) and as Vice President of Austral University (1995-2007). Howard Thomas is Dean and Chair in Strategic Management at the Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Singapore Management University. Until recently, he was Dean of Warwick Business School (2000-2010) and, prior to this, he was Dean of the College of Commerce and Business Administration at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (1991-2000).

'This book emphasizes how business schools might be better led! The various examples are particularly helpful. All in all, a must for academic leaders, including those who want to prepare themselves for such roles.' Peter Lorange, President, Lorange Institute of Business 'Business schools are facing unprecedented change and new challenges. More than ever, schools need a sense of mission that explains inside and outside why the school actually exists, and a clear strategy. Fragueiro and Thomas' book offers a deep, innovative and well-articulated model of business school's leadership in this context. This excellent text offers extremely useful ideas for deans and university presidents.' Jordi Canals, Dean and Professor of General Management, IESE Business School 'A very thoughtful book on how to transform business schools for the future through strategic leadership processes (SLP). In particular, Fragueiro and Thomas demonstrate the critical role of the dean as the Chief Transformation Officer through case studies and personal experiences. Strategic Leadership in the Business School is a must-read for business school deans as well as provosts and presidents of universities globally.' Jagdish N. Sheth, Charles H. Kellstadt Professor of Marketing, Emory University