Since their creation a century ago, MBA programmes have attempted to impart analytical and strategic thinking to business leaders in the hope that they would approach management in a scientific manner.
However, the perennial question remains - how does an MBA programme improve one's leadership abilities?
An MBA is well-recognised as the foremost management qualification, and it is "essential to the development of executives", said Glover Chan, senior marketing manager at the Hong Kong Management Association, which has offered an MBA programme with Sydney-based Macquarie Graduate School of Management for 15 years.
Typically an MBA is an all-round programme covering every aspect of a business operation.
The aim is to "equip experienced managers with vital skills and knowledge of the core functional areas of business management", said Mr Chan, enabling them to think through every detail before deciding on the best solutions to improve business and management practices.
According to Dipak Jain, dean of Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, leadership is a core part of Kellogg's curriculum. "If I had to rename the school, it would be the Kellogg School of Management and Leadership," he said, half jokingly.
Kellogg is not alone on this. David Schmittlein, dean of the MIT Sloan School of Business, said: "We emphasise leadership that is distributed throughout the organisation, not just from the CEO or boardroom." He stressed that students developed leadership skills through a mix of curricular and co-curricular activities, and both were crucial.
Through extensive case studies and experience sharing with fellow classmates - who are often executives from different fields - managers-in-training receive an opportunity to think outside the box and learn about the various facets of the business world.
Mr Chan said: "By acquiring [a] thorough understanding of the complex business environment, [an] MBA trains managers to be more confident in decision-making with solid support which ... builds up their leadership abilities."
Reputable programmes help students develop leadership potential through intense case study analysis, team projects, student-organised events, visits from industry insiders, field trips, internships and public speaking workshops. The goal is to achieve a balance between theoretical and experiential learning.
According to Billy Mak, associate professor of the department of finance and decision science at Hong Kong Baptist University's School of Business, public speaking training is crucial for effective leadership.
"How you speak is just as important as how you lead. It affects how people view and respect you," he said.
In addition to several electives which carry leadership content, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology has started a new, required course developed by one of its professors, Caroline Wang, on responsible leadership. Similarly, Hong Kong University's leadership workshop is regarded as one of the most important in its curriculum and seeks to develop leadership skills, ethics and creativity.
HKU MBA programme director Chris Chan said: "We believe soft skills are just as important as core knowledge courses."
By special request, Barry Posner, famous leadership speaker and co-author of The Leadership Challenge with Jim Kouzes, will be visiting professor at HKUST this autumn, teaching leadership electives.
MBA programmes stress that leadership cannot be taught in traditional, formulaic ways, or by studying theories. It must be developed through training and frequent interaction with role models, exposure to diverse ideas and approaches, as well as working in teams with people from different backgrounds.
Dr Mak said formal projects and presentations in business schools often required team projects which also honed leadership skills.
"Every student takes on leadership roles at some point and leads their teams," Dr Mak said.
Stressing the importance of group projects, Gopika Spaenle, associate director of Insead's MBA programme Asia campus, contends that one of the greatest leadership tests comes from assignments that require negotiation and cross-cultural negotiation.
"All students at Insead have extremely diverse backgrounds ... The `trans-cultural' leadership that they develop will aid them in a globalised economy," Ms Spaenle said. Such group projects account for half of Insead's MBA curriculum, which perhaps explains her assertion that "Insead graduates make great leaders because they are some of the most culturally aware and sensitive MBAs out there".
In her assessment Insead produces leaders who can get on a plane, move to another country and manage people from vastly different cultures.
Reinforcing this point, Steven DeKrey, director of HKUST's MBA programme, said: "Under such circumstances, the best leaders are those that are flexible and adaptable."
Nevertheless, theoretical learning has a role, albeit limited. Ms Spaenle said: "Students should be exposed to the greatest leaders and experts in their reading materials for their grounding."
However, academic learning does not need to be passive. Dr Jain said: "Many courses at Kellogg are designed based on students' ideas."
Extracurricular events also provide opportunities to test one's leadership mettle. For example, at MIT, Kellogg and Insead, students run clubs and conferences.
Things are similar in Hong Kong at Baptist University, where students manage its annual corporate governance conference.
Dr Mak said: "It's all handled by students." He said by doing so "[students] learn how to lead because it is a challenge keeping your team co-ordinated while also lining up speakers, sending out materials, selecting a venue and overseeing logistics". Outside speakers and executive training seminars also provide useful insights into leadership prowess.
Typically, executives are leaders in their industries and they have lessons to share based on their successes and failures.
For example, industry insiders who have recently spoken at Insead Singapore include heads of Fortune 500 companies such as Andy Bird, president of Walt Disney, Meg Whitman, former president and chief executive of eBay, and Helen Alexander, chief executive of the Economist Group.
Ms Spaenle said: "There are some things you just don't learn from books."
Going a step further, Baptist University requires students to travel to either the mainland or Taiwan to speak with managers to ask about their thoughts on leadership.
However, the mere fact that one attends a reputable graduate business school means that it is a self-selecting sample.
Dr DeKrey said: "We're not starting from scratch ... many of them have some prior leadership experience ...We don't develop leaders, they develop themselves."
For example, Baptist University requires a minimum of two years' work experience to be admitted to its MBA programme, and most of its students possess an average of nine years' experience.
As for the perennial question of whether leaders are born or made, Dr DeKrey suggests that all leaders are born, "but it's what happens afterwards that makes the difference".
While ample opportunities exist for students to develop their leadership skills, Dr Mak stresses that student initiative is essential.
"Perhaps not all of them will realise their fullest potential, but most will be better equipped to be leaders when they leave the programme and their skills will certainly be enhanced," he said.
Ms Spaenle said: "[After all], learning is a lifelong process."
