At SXSW London in June, a provocative idea surfaced in two separate keynotes from creative leaders Sir John Hegarty and David Lee, chief brand and creative officer at Squarespace. What if business schools were replaced by art schools?
“Business schools, in my view, are flawed,” Sir John said. “They teach everything except what actually drives growth.”
International business schools are hugely respected and “command attention”, Sir John said. “But I look at them and think what value are they creating? If they're so good then why isn’t business better?”
The revered advertising exec then pulled up a list of modules from Harvard Business School, listing topics like financial reporting, leadership management, marketing and ops listed. These schools are run by people who think “conventionally” about business, he argued.
