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by Gilbert
Chang
 M.B.A. qualifications
are getting more and more popular these days. As the economy
grows, there is an increased demand for professional managers from
the employers' side. Then there are some career minded and
achievement oriented executives who wish to equip themselves with
the life long skill of management. So much for the glamorous part
....
The real story is a lot of blood,
sweat and sometime tears that comes with the one or two years of
self inflicted ordeal, depending on which course you choose. Which
ever way you look at at, it is tough ..... am I scaring you ? Read
on.
All in there are in excess of 50
individual MBA programmes offered by more than 25 institutions in
Malaysia. There are in excess of 1000 business schools worldwide,
most are in America and Europe. The number of business schools in
Asia are also booming. In fact more than half are
"extensions" from the U.S. and Europe where foreign
universities develop joint programmes with local universities or
institutes. Most of the local programmes are part time programmes
that fits well with the working executive. There are a few full
time programmes. You may have to either quit your job or
take a no pay leave for one year. (I consider distance learning
programmes as part time).
So back to the main issue here :
Why do you need an MBA anyway ?
People get their MBAs for a variety
of reasons. Some want to switch careers. Some want a better chance
at the next promotion. Some do it to get their "tickets"
stamped to get into senior management. Some do it because their
bosses asked them to. Others do it for learning and knowledge. Ask
any MBA students or graduates, it is usually a combination of some
or all of the above. Most do it because they want to get somewhere
or be somebody. They are driven, they have an objective to achieve
within time frame. That's fair. But ... thinking that an MBA
degree will your magic ticket that open locked doors, you may be
in for bit of disappointment. Nope, you can't open doors by
chanting "M-B-A" like you do "open sesame ! "
Much of this door opening stuff depends more on your personal
capability, experience and even character. From what I have been
hearing and reading, Malaysian employers still value experience.
In any bid for that top job or career, this thing called MBA will
probably give you that extra edge, given all else equal.
Why do I need to justify that I
need an MBA ? For one thing, when you apply to get into an
MBA programme, you'd be asked to write a justification or rather
explain why do you need an MBA. But more importantly, you should
really know exactly why you are doing it. This is to ensure that
you do not lose sight of your goals when the going gets tough. And
trust me, it will get tough, even for the supposedly
"easier" programmes. Moreover universities / institutes
use this as a screening tool to minimse drop out rates as well as
ensuring that they get the best of the breed and committed
students. Just to give you some idea what questions you will
be asked :
- What are you career objectives
and how do you propose to achieve these objectives ?
- What do you consider as your
most substantial attributes relevant to management ?
- What are your reasons for
applying for this MBA programme ?
That not all. Most universities
even require a reference from your employer. A form will be sent
to your employer or you manager asking :
- How long and in what
connection have you known the applicant ?
- What do you consider as
his/her talent or strengths?
- What do you consider as
his/her weaknesses ?
- Please comment on his/her
character.
So please put some solid
thought into why you need an MBA first. Before you try to convince
anyone else, try to convince yourself first.
Done yet ? Here's the next part
of the horror story ... just kidding.
Begin with the end in mind, so says Stephen Covey of the 7 Habits
of Highly Efeective People. Now think about it, two years from now
(assuming that your're doing a part time MBA or more appropriately
an Executive MBA) you're going to have a higher degree. My,
my, the certificate is going to look good on that wall.
Wonder if it has the three BIG letters M-B-A on it ... well, there
only one way to find out. Ask an MBA graduate to show you the
certificate ! Too bad your name is not on it. So you want your
name on it ... Is this inspiring enough ??
If it is, now's the time to do some
serious evaluation ! For starters check out the MBA courses page
you'll see a list of about 50 MBA courses offering in Malaysia.
The
ultimate question here : Does
having an MBA means that you are a qualified manager ?
Interesting question ... no straight answers. Being an MBA graduate
does automatically mean that you are "qualified". A
manager is more that just what he/she knows. I happen to think that
it is the performance and end results that makes a manager who
he/she is. Therefore, it is felt that MBA is a means, not an end.
Being an effective manager or leader takes a lot of trying and
patience. As one of my lecturer puts it so well -
"Management is a science
practiced to a level of fine art !"
What I'm saying is ... MBA is the science part, the art part depends
a lot on you. A cohort of managers can graduate from the same
programme, but some are more effective and successful than others.
MBA can teach you how to make better, intelligent and informed
decisions, but MBA will never ever give you the ability to make judgment
calls. That depends on you and your experience in life.
For example - Someone tells you to push the team hard ... but how
hard ? Certainly not to the point of breaking them down and making
them dysfunctional. On the other hand if you do not push hard
enough, you may not get the results that you and senior management
expect. How hard to push depends on your judgment that is based on a
variety of factors such as corporate culture, the current
state of team members (e.g. morale), nature of business etc etc etc.
... that's the "art" part I am talking about, that comes
with experience and conscious learning and improvement.
So there you have it, MBA is not Manager By Accident, where
one throws himself/herself into and hope and just hope will become
an effective manager, but rather management is about life long,
effective learning with a constant response and adaptation to
changes. 
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