Nothing Succeeds Like Failure: The Sad History of American Business Schools

Miami University history professor Conn argues against the perceived success of American business schools in this rigorously documented, if agenda-driven, polemic. He recounts their origins, growth, and shifting ambitions, while bemoaning how the “professionalization” of education has affected educational standards. “Many of us,” he claims, “simply don’t believe teaching business techniques constitutes the real work universities ought to do”—however, it’s unclear who these “many” are and how widespread this distaste really is. Among business schools’ sins, he argues, are constantly changing their curricula, leaning too heavily on economics departments for intellectual credibility and self-justification, and failing to choose and adhere to a singular mission. He criticizes these institutions for not directing business toward goals more high-minded than profit, but, since he admits that this has not been a stated goal of business schools for some time, it’s hard to view their failure to pursue such an agenda as representing “unfulfilled promises and unmet aspirations across nearly 150 years.” The book’s greatest failing lies in its high-mindedness, as it never justifies the contention that MBAs should be primarily concerned with social change, rather than business best practices. It’s unclear who the audience for this would be—the subject is too niche and the tone too bitter. (Oct.)