“Companies need employees who can adapt in a dynamic world”
Published: 2016-12-02
Two of our Master’s in Management (MiM) students are participating in the 2016 EFMD Conference on Master Programmes, this year held at BI Norwegian Business School in Oslo. Eva Hecht and Lisa Wiedmann are the authors of a Master’s thesis in which they explore the reasons for companies to hire MiM-graduates for managerial positions, and what qualities in the graduates that are of interest for the companies.
Two of our Master’s in Management (MiM) alumni are participating in the 2016 EFMD Conference on Master Programmes, this year held at BI in Oslo. Eva Hecht and Lisa Wiedmann are the authors of a Master’s thesis in which they explore the reasons for companies to hire MiM-graduates for managerial positions, and what qualities in the graduates that are of interest for the companies.
Eva Hecht has a background in education science, has a trainee position within e-commerce at a chain of grocery stores which are expanding strongly throughout Europe and beyond its borders. Lisa Wiedmann is coming from equestrian sports science, and is working with marketing and account management at a start-up. Photo: Tove Eriksson
In a fast-changing world that gets more interconnected, instrumented and intelligent, a broader skills and dynamic capabilities are inevitable. Therefore, it seems that the traditional “I-shaped” employee, who has deep specialised knowledge in one particular area, has to make way for the multidisciplinary “T-shaped” employee . These individuals are equipped with in-depth disciplinary expertise of one (or more) specific subjects – the vertical stem of the “T”. On the other hand, they also have “business and people skills” – the horizontal bar of the T.
The importance of the T-shaped management student
– We looked at the employability for the “T-shaped” management student. The T-shaped individual do not only have deep problem-solving skills in one area, but also the ability to communicate with and understand the vocabulary of people from the business side. We live in a fast moving world, and companies need employees who can adapt in a dynamic world, says Eva Hect and Lisa Wiedmann.
Lisa and Eva found that while interdisciplinary knowledge arising from a combination of management degree and a non-business degree was highly valued, the appreciation varies depending on the business context and the previously studied subject area. However, the graduates ability to flexibly adapt and bridge different disciplines was perceived as very powerful.
– In Lund, the class has 50 students from over 20 different countries. This really fosters team-work and the development of soft skills.
A degree common in Europe and North America
A Master’s in Management is an academic degree that is common throughout Europe and increasingly also in North America and Asia. It is designed for students that already hold a recent first degree in a subject matter other than business or management, looking to develop key managerial skills.
The programme was introduced at Lund University School of Economics and Management in the autumn of 2014. It is an intensive, one-year full-time experience that prepare students for leadership in the fast-moving business world.
Read more about our Master’s in Management