Why We Need An MBA Oath

You may have heard about The MBA Oath. It was created by a couple of Harvard Business School students last year and has spread to business school campuses around the world and led to a book on the topic. As the Financial Times reports, it’s supported by the new dean of Harvard Business School but a significant percentage of the students there won’t be taking the oath on Class Day this year. Some say it’s not necessary, others say it’s cheesy. 

You can read the entire oath at mbaoath.org. For now, here are some selected excerpts:

My decisions affect the well-being of individuals inside and outside my enterprise, today and tomorrow.

Therefore, I promise that:

• I will manage my enterprise with loyalty and care, and will not advance my personal interests at the expense of my enterprise or society.
• I will understand and uphold, in letter and spirit, the laws and contracts governing my conduct and that of my enterprise.
• I will protect the right of future generations to advance their standard of living and enjoy a healthy planet.
• I will report the performance and risks of my enterprise accurately and honestly.

So, is it pointless or cheesy for future business leaders (or leaders in any sector for that matter) to take such an oath? Watch this report from 60 Minutes’ Scott Pelley about the connection between management decisions and the oil rig blowout that led to the BP spill in the Gulf of Mexico and then see what you think. What difference might it have made if the leaders of BP started their meetings by standing up and repeating The MBA Oath? Would it have made a difference in the way things developed? Who knows?

One thing I do know, however, is (as I wrote here a few weeks ago) what doesn’t get said, doesn’t get heard. If the MBA Oath causes even a few leaders to stand up and say out loud how they intend to conduct themselves then it was worth the effort of writing and promoting it.

That’s what I think. What do you think?

Comments

[Wally Bock]

Great post, Scott. You got me thinking about some things I hadn't considered.

http://blog.threestarleadership.com/2010/05/24/rethinking-the-mba-oath.aspx

[Maxwell Pinto]

Taking the oath is a good idea, because, as you mention "what doesn't get said, doesn't get heard," but what is more important is for people, starting with leaders themselves, to lead by example: morals, fairness, respect, caring, sharing, no false promises, no lying, cheating, stealing, or unreasonable demands on employees and others, etc.

It is also important to remember that business decisions often concern complicated situations which are neither totally ethical nor totally unethical. Business ethics is concerned with dealing with dilemmas that sometimes do not have a clear indication as to what is right or wrong. Therefore, it is often difficult to do the right thing, contrary to what many case studies will have you believe! Leaders have to deal with potential conflicts of interest, wrongful use of resources, mismanagement of contracts, false promises and exaggerated demands on resources which include personnel. In a proposed sale, is it the seller’s duty to disclose all material facts regarding the product or service in question or is it the buyer’s responsibility to find out the pros and cons of what he or she is getting into? Should the seller answer each question exactly as it was asked, and ignore some pertinent information? Or should he address the spirit of the question? Is the buyer responsible for due diligence? This is a gray area.

For free abridged books on leadership, ethics, teamwork, women in the workforce, sexual harassment and bullying, trade unions, etc. send an e-mail request to crespin79@primus.ca.

Maxwell Pinto, Business Consultant and Author

http://www.strategicbookpublishing.com/Management-TidbitsForTheNewMillenium.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p34hB50lv-8

[John Hunter]

I am not optimistic an oath is the right response to a system that isn't working. Just like any solution in management that is the same - get people to say they will behaving differently while not changing the system that gets those results.

I do believe in the importance of honor and integrity I just don't put much stock in this move. It seems to have even less likelihood of success than those "ethic" courses the business schools talked up what 5-15 years ago as a response to all the unethical behavior by their graduates back then.

It is sad how poorly they have managed to do at educating leaders. It isn't an easy task but they don't seem to be doing much at all to produce ethical leaders.