This blog is presented as an accompaniment to a presentation Sabine Hoffmeister and Andrew Chadwick produced for a session at the EFMD Dean’s Conference. The session was entitled ‘The future of space management for Business Schools’. The intention of this piece was to open attendees minds to the psychology of space and it uses an imaginary conversation set in 2066 on the regular Earth – Mars shuttle. We hope you enjoy it and that it helps to promote new thoughts.
It’s 2066 and we are on board the regular Earth-Mars shuttle, en route to an away week on Phobos the Martian moon. It recently has been converted into a luxury hotel and spa in an amazing spherical exostructure which is the talk of the planets.
The conference is hosted by the (prestigious) EFMD. Our delegates are the Deans of all significant business schools in the known universe.
Our agenda is a review of the past and insight for the future of business schools, our facilitators are HeShe and SheHe, the Class1 Robots accompanying the group.
As is common on Earth in 2066 every major infrastructure project and whatever you are building starts as an icon in BIM (Building Information Management) and Mars is no different. You start while painting and creating the space needed, which then is printed 3D as all the business schools are these days.
And wherever there is no more real space, you can always open up and shift your mind to another plane, just escape to virtual space.
The First Dean was eager to start the presentation
“The most beautiful spaces don’t necessarily generate the most creative ideas, right?”
” The key to business success is cultural mastery” he said ”…and our schools will assume the characteristics of the society we are creating, the ultimate collegiate university if you like…..”
“Our watchword is creativity not competition. Competition is both good and bad and nearly always revolves around price. Do business schools really have to make business? Or is education priceless?
Warming to his subject the Dean continued…”Subjects will be taught in clusters both real and electronic. And social life, which is still the heart of the university/biz school, will focus around the most sophisticated entertainment facilities ever invented……”
Each academic Forum might change its name and character every semester, so for example in YEAR1it is named #FutureWork/StudyForum which dissolves itself and could become #RoboticsForum in YEAR 2.
Most importantly each Forum has to adopt a social characteristic to go with the subject. So for example Robotics in year2 which is mechanistically focussed, can adopt EMPATHY as its Semester Style with all student work focussed around this emotion to balance the mix.”
“From a practical perspective, students use a card loaded with square feet hours to pay for the different amenities at the business school, with an enormous number of units being added virtually. Bitcoin is quite commonly used for transactions. Students or LLL’s – LifeLongLearners, as they are called now, only pay for what they take. Mindset changes needed have been massive.”
The First Dean concluded.
“Solving future issues, Einstein once said you cannot solve a problem on the same level where it occurs.”
“Well Information is the basic stuff you get on the internet. The next level is education which enhances awareness and consciousness. Education is civilisation and to be civilized in the future, people will need further education. The best Education has always been a broad church and it has been deep.
Mindset and experience make all the difference and will be the characteristics of true education and the driving force for business schools. Dialogue and face to face is really important, as we found out during the great pandemic.”
The USP for a university/biz school is making humans human.
The First Dean went on: ”The purpose of this educative approach (the Latin educo to think out) is to create business leaders with the broadest understanding of the present and future world, with technical, literary and psychological skills to allow them to create not just accounts but the mechanisms and feelings that drive success and diversity in the real world. Let’s use our influence to change followers into leaders.”
After having said this, the announcement for landing has been made.
Arriving in the real world, the group then sat in wonder as the robots took them through the UniverCities that started as a Business School!!
P.S. just a light introduction for a serious discussion on the topic of space – and – we truly believe the teacher/professor makes the difference not the classroom/space, but the classroom/space has to suit your needs and purpose.
Stay strong and create a successful future in different times and spaces.
Yours Andrew and Sabine