New Course Teaches MBAs How To Deliver Bad News

Students at the University of California Berkeley’s Haas School are learning a soft skill that’s difficult to master: the art of delivering bad news.

The course, titled “Difficult Conversations: Conflict Lab,” debuted this fall with 30 enrollees as the tech world is reeling from mass layoffs. Students in the course practice navigating office politics—from delivering a poor performance review to firing an employee.

“The frameworks help you calm down and reassess the situation and approach it very tactically,” Khalil Somani, who plans to go into human-resources strategy after graduation, tells The Wall Street Journal.

EXPERIENCING CONFLICT THROUGH ROLE-PLAYING

Much of the course is centered around role-playing exercises, where students practice conflict by playing both sides. In one exercise, students go through the exercise of laying off a “colleague.”

Instructors Francesca LeBaron and Breona (Bree) Jenkins said they developed the course after seeing many of their own colleagues, former classmates, and clients struggle with difficult workplace conversations, such as firing a teammate or delivering harsh feedback.

“I noticed themes and trends with what we were doing at work,” Jenkins says. “There was conflict avoidance and harm from conflict that’s not dealt with effectively. We talked to friends in other organizations and we realized quickly that everyone is dealing with workplace conflict.”

The instructors recruit Haas alumni for the role-playing exercises and have even brought in undergraduate students from Berkeley leadership classes to participate. Participants are given minimal preparation, typically only told the situation from their own perspective, and are expected to respond on the fly during exercises. After exercises, MBA students discuss each participants’ response and dissect the conflict session.

“The role playing was so useful—like when alumni talked to us as our managers,” Mariam Al-Rayes, a Class of 2023 MBA, says. “It was realistic and we applied what we learned in class first-hand.”

Given how popular the class has been—there’s already waitlist for this term’s course—LeBaron and Jenkins say they’re planning to offer the class again in Fall 2023.

Sources: The Wall Street Journal, Berkeley Haas

Next Page: Anti-Capitalist MBA Curriculum is Here

The Anti-Capitalist MBA Curriculum is Here

70% of Americans believe it’s important for companies to make the world a better place, compared to just 37% who believe it’s most important for a company to make money for shareholders. That’s an important difference to note. While profit is still king in the business world, business schools are slowly but surely starting to rethink how they teach capitalism and the role that business plays in today’s society.

The New York Times recently examined how business school curricula is changing—and how the new generation of students, plus faculty, are pushing for that change.

“We’re at Harvard Business School — it’s a bastion of capitalism,” Ethan Rouen, who teaches the Harvard class “Reimagining Capitalism,” says. “I will say, though, that if you look at the courses being offered, the institutes being created and speakers we bring on campus, there is a huge demand both from the faculty and the students for rethinking the obligation of the corporation to society.”

It’s a demand that many students and faculty are calling for: a rethinking of capitalism and how businesses operate within society.

“There’s a conscious shift happening with professors wanting us to question: Is profit the only thing corporations should care about? How should businesses use their influence?”, says Chinedum Egbosimba, who studied engineering and then worked at Bain & Company before winding up at Harvard Business School.

But it’s not just Harvard that’s incorporating such ideas into its curriculum. At Wharton, students can take a class called “Responsibility in Business,” where they examine the legal, public policy, and ethical considerations of business. Wharton will officially start offering MBA majors in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and in Environmental, Social and Governance Factors for Business next fall.

“Five years ago I never would have considered this a core part of business school,” Yuta Kato, a student of the class, says. “It’s just as important to learn how to think about ethical problem-solving as it is to learn about strategic problem-solving.”

IT’S ECONOMICS

Business school leaders say that their new courses and concentrations are simply an answer to the demand for political conversations in the corporate world. In other words, business schools aren’t purposely pushing a progressive view, it’s just business.

“It’s not because we’re woke. It’s not because we’re driving an ideological agenda,” Witold Henisz, Wharton’s vice dean and faculty head of the E.S.G. initiative, says. “It’s because it’s economics.”

Economics or not, it’s safe to say that there’s a new expectation of business’s role in society—and it’s something that today’s B-school students are faced with understanding.

“The classic school of thinking that businesses should only make money is very much alive,” Egbosimba, the Harvard student, says. “But many of my classmates look at the world we have today and say, ‘Yeah, there’s clearly some things about this system we need to fix.’”

Sources: The New York Times, Harvard Business School

Next Page: Cornell Johnson MBA Essay Tips

Cornell MBAs with the Big Red Bear

Cornell Johnson MBA Essay Tips

Cornell University’s Johnson Graduate School of Management is known for its tight-knit community, one that’s strengthened by the refuge of the abundant nature surrounding Ithaca.

The business school specifically seeks out students who can add value to its small MBA community. Silpa Sarma, a Fortuna Admissions Expert Coach and Cornell Johnson MBA alum, recently offered insight into what admissions officers look for in the Johnson MBA essays, and how applicants can best approach each essay.

“Your essays are an opportunity to connect the dots for Cornell between who you are, where you’re going, and what you hope to bring to the community,” Sarma says.

GOALS STATEMENT

The first essay prompt asks applicants the following:

A statement of your goals will begin a conversation that will last throughout the admissions process and guide your steps during the MBA program and experience. To the best of your understanding today, please share your short and long term goals by completing the following sentences and answering the enclosed short answer question:

Immediately post-MBA, my goal is to work as a(n) [Role] at [Company] within [Industry].

Targeted Job Role:
Target Job Company:
Industry:

In 5–10 years post-MBA, my goal is to work as a(n) [Role] at [Company] within [Industry].

Targeted Job Role:
Target Job Company:
 Industry:

How has your experience prepared and encouraged you to pursue these goals?

While there’s no word count given for this year’s essay, Sarma says applicants should use last year’s 350-word cut-off as a benchmark. To start, Sarma suggests sharing the inspiration behind your goals by providing context of how your interests, academic background, and professional experiences have helped shape said goals.

“Think about what you’ve learned throughout your career and how each role inspired you, and prepared you, to take the next step,” Sarma says. “This will help convey your motivation to make an impact and effect change. To demonstrate that your career vision is ambitious but still realistic, select two or three past experiences that highlight your existing skills and/or expertise that you will leverage, and then articulate how the offerings at the school will take you the rest of the way toward achieving your goals.”

IMPACT ESSAY

The second essay prompt asks applicants the following:

At Cornell, our students and alumni share a desire to positively impact the organizations and communities they serve. Taking into consideration your background, how do you intend to make a meaningful impact on an elite MBA community? (350 words, hard cut-off)

To approach this question, Sarma recommends doing research to get a strong understanding of the Cornell Johnson experience.

“While reviewing the school’s website, student blogs, and YouTube videos might be good initial steps, it would be helpful to connect with current students, alumni, and other members of the Cornell Johnson community to gain a more in-depth understanding of the experience,” Sarma says.

Then, you’ll want to think about how your background aligns with the Cornell Johnson community.

“Consider how you might share your sector expertise or industry connections with your peers, be it in a class discussion, during the recruiting cycle, or through a guest speaker series at Johnson,” Sarma says. “Find ways to continue your favorite extracurricular or community pursuits on campus, and if the avenue doesn’t exist, consider how you might create the opportunity and generate interest and engagement among your fellow students.”

Sources: Fortuna Admissions, P&Q

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