Searching for a Strategy to Teach Strategy

We contend that the content of the required MBA strategy course in top-tier business schools has moved away from interdisciplinary thinking and practice toward an almost exclusive emphasis on theory and analysis. The once accepted Harvard model of capstone integration and learning-by-doing through case discussion is now much less in vogue. Consequently, strategy students today tend to experience a rather abstract approach to learning about strategy presented through the limited prism of a theoretical discipline. Even classroom discussions of cases are often guided by instructors to confirm the utility of a particular theoretical framework, instead of serving as an open-ended discussion of problems and solutions. After presenting our evidence and arguments against the current trend, we present some examples of MBA programs that give more emphasis to practice, including USC's Executive MBA program, where priority is placed on integration and implementation without sacrificing, we believe, essential theories and analytical skills. Finally, we explore the implications from our analysis for additional solutions in other strategy teaching contexts.