A Global, Networked Business Education

This week, 694 students from 17 global business schools are traveling the world, meeting peers, taking classes and learning from experts, and visiting local companies. From studies of “Innovation X Globalization: Japan Style” at Hitotsubashi ICS in Tokyo, to “Doing Business in Latin America: The Competitiveness and Sustainability Challenge” at INCAE in Costa Rica, Global Network Weeks give Yale SOM students the opportunity to pursue intensive study at another international MBA program, in a focused mini course that leverages the perspectives, programs, and faculty expertise of that school. Yale SOM is hosting two courses, “Behavioral Science of Management” and “Design and Innovation” welcoming 102 students from 16 schools, many of whom experienced their first blizzard on Tuesday!

The Global Network for Advanced Management makes these kinds of border-spanning collaborations possible. Founded in April 2012, the Global Network now includes 29 leading business schools with campuses in 26 countries. In the five years since its founding, the Global Network has launched a series of innovations—from virtual courses to multi-school case studies—that leverage and connect top minds in markets around the world. The member schools engage in global learning (shared events, small network online courses), global virtual teamwork (core coursework, investment competition), and global inquiry (major issues including climate change and rising nationalism).

Most recently, in celebration of International Women’s Day, we presented the results of the second Global Network Survey, exploring the challenges facing women in the global workforce through the thoughts of 3,500+ current Global Network students and 1,500+ alumni, representing over 100 countries. Learn more about the results of this important inquiry.

In another example of the unique capacity of the Global Network to activate connections around the globe, Yale Professor David Bach is leading an online seminar with students from 26 schools exploring the state of globalization and the backlash against it. Bach, participating students, and visiting experts have provided glimpses into the insights being generated by the course so far. The goal of the course is to gather and analyze data that can inform discussion at a major conference this spring.

And that conference is something else we are excited about. This April, Yale SOM will host the Global Network for Advanced Management Fifth Anniversary Symposium: Business and Management Education in the Age of Contested Globalization. Distinguished business and academic thought leaders, scholars, and students will convene to confront pressing issues on the future of globalization and their implications for management education. In addition to a number of talks and panels, the symposium will include a live demonstration of the Global Network’s global virtual team-based coursework and unveil future Global Network projects.

Follow along on our students’ travels at #GNW2017, and join the fifth anniversary conversation at #GlobalNetwork5.

Melissa C. Fogerty
Assistant Dean, Management Master’s Programs