MBAs are not all greedy egoists says business school research

MBA graduate are not the ruthless, money-grabbing megalomaniacs they are often portrayed, according to the latest research from one organisational behaviour professor at Insead. At least, not all of them are.

“When people think about MBA students they think of corporate suits that are only interested in career progression,” says assistant professor Jennifer Petriglieri. “The agenda behind much of my research is to expose this.”

Using the MBA classroom for her field research, Prof Petriglieri asks those on the programme to write down what they expect to be doing a decade in the future. “What is most striking is the variety,” she says, which is in sharp contrast to the uni-dimensional image of MBA graduates as they are often portrayed.

In the classroom Prof Petriglieri often looks at cases of Insead graduates of a decade ago, examining their career progression, to demonstrate the variety. But today’s students are different, she believes. “ [There is a view that] what I do in my professional life should reflect what I am as an individual.”

www.insead.edu