Developing Global Business Capabilities in MBA Students

The need to develop global business capabilities in MBAs is clear and growing, and faculty must create efficient and effective processes for developing these capabilities.The author offers for consideration an approach that utilizes theory combined with practice to begin developing global business capabilities during a one-semester course. The five global mind-sets (reflective, analytical, worldly, collaborative, and action) offered by Mintzberg provide a useful framework for categorizing the desired learning. He demonstrates that by using a variety of complementary approaches, including case analyses in multicultural teams, local and foreign business-opportunity analyses, a business-venture proposal that bridges two countries, and a focused study tour, students can make real progress in learning the five mind-sets. Pre—post questionnaires and qualitative data support the conclusion that MBAs who participate in an organized and diverse learning experience can begin to develop global business capabilities in a concentrated period of time.