24 ] September 13-14, 2014 The Weekend Australian


Thinking outside the square
Benjamin Kile


When Professor Benjamin Kile was nominated to participate in the Committee for Melbourne’s Future Focus Group business leadership program, he was only “vaguely aware” of what it actually was.


Now Kile, who is a scientist at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute for Medical Research, describes the program – now in its 19th year – as a “completely different style of leadership education.”


Through the Future Focus Group, nominated participants (about 45 every two-year intake) work in small groups to formulate a project idea and, harnessing the skills each individual brings to the group, generate the momentum to make it successful.


Recent Future Focus Group projects have resulted in enduring initiatives that fulfill the Committee for Melbourne’s goal of “creating a discernable, positive and lasting difference” to the city. Examples include free trams in the CBD and the highly successful Open House Melbourne.


Kile’s group, which completed their project in 2009, developed what is now known as the Student Welcome Desk – now a City of Melbourne program that aims to improve the arrival experience and integration of thousands of international tertiary students as they arrive by the plane load twice a year. The idea has since been emulated in other cities


Although participants don’t earn a qualification, Kile says the program delivers both personal and career benefits. “It looks good on your CV. It’s out of the ordinary and shows you can think more broadly than just within your own professional sphere,” he says.


“It also gave me a unique insight into the challenges faced by other organisations, including the City of Melbourne, and their approaches to those challenges.” CEO, Kate Roffey says the Future Focus Group is also highly valued by Committee for Melbourne member organisations.


“The selection process is very competitive and for those who are successful, there is the prestige of being recognised as a future leader within your organisation,” Roffey says There are now more than 300 Future Focus Group alumni – among them numerous partners, directors, managers, CEOs and doctorate holders.


“The program certainly opened my eyes. It’s not the sort of leadership training I’d normally get in my line of work.”


 


Getting the most from your MBA
Yes, an additional qualification can give you the edge, but you also need to have a strategy in place.


THERE’S little doubt an MBA is a valuable addition to the CV. But given the number of MBA graduates out there, experts say you need to be strategic to achieve the most career leverage from this classic business qualification.


In order to find out what employers look for in an MBA graduate, Dr Michael Segon and Dr Chris Booth from RMIT’s Graduate School of Business and Law recently surveyed 150 middle and senior managers from a wide cross section of industries.


“We know MBA students complete the qualification because they want to give their careers a boost,” says Segdon. Yet there isn’t much research out there about what employers value from MBA programs, which can leave prospective students in the dark when it comes to choosing a program that will be valued by organisations wishing to appoint managers with MBAs.”


The survey gauged employers’ attitudes to MBAs versus other masters programs and explored how they distinguish between MBAs from different business schools. Its findings show employers prefer MBA graduates over similar postgraduate degrees when a business qualification is required.


“We found that the MBA is a known brand and this gives the qualification an edge with employers. While a ‘master of creative decision making’ might sound interesting, at the end of the day many employers will wonder what that is. With an MBA they know what they’re getting.”


Employers routinely find themselves weighing up two equally strong candidates – both with an MBA – for a single management or leadership role.


Segdon says the business school you attended can see you selected over of the other contender, but not necessarily for the reasons you’d expect.


“Many would assume brand recognition would be most important, and while Australia’s very top business schools might fall into this category, the majority don’t.”


Segdon and Booth found that a business school’s ranking in various league tables and whether or not it was internationally accredited were more important to employers than where it was undertaken.


“The MBA is a global qualification. An employer in Darwin won’t necessarily know the ins and outs of an MBA offered in Adelaide or Perth, but they’ve got to rely on something and our findings suggest they look at the business school’s rankings and whether or not it has achieved international accreditation from the likes of EQUIS, AMBA or AACSB,” says Segdon.


“The message for prospective students is to consider an institution that’s internationally accredited and also fares well in the rankings.”


UQ Business School program director, Dr Sarah Kelly says an MBA can be extremely valuable if you’re looking to transition to higher level management or even move on to a new career, but you need to be proactive.


“The onus is really on the individual student to engage in a deep way with the program and all it has to offer. That includes connecting with your fellow students and building your networks,” says Kelly. “People appointed to board level are very much considered for their networks as well as their expertise.” Kelly advises prospective students to consider what, if anything, is unique about what the various business schools have on offer before deciding on where to enroll. “We find employers are very interested in our graduates’ experience in our Wharton global consulting program, because it exposes them to international consulting experience (continued on page 25)
 

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