ART OF MANAGEMENT

WHEN IT COMES TO ART AND MANAGEMENT,THE IDEA IS NOT TO

TEACH ACTING,PAINTING OR SCULPTING, BUT RATHER
‘SEEING.’BERNARD RAMANANTSOA,DEAN,HEC PARIS,SHARES HIS
THOUGHTS WITH TIRNA RAY ON THE EVENT OF THE BUSINESS
SCHOOL’S NEW PARTNERSHIP WITH THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF
ASIAN ART GUIMET

IN a recent trend, post-recession, business curricula across the world are being tweaked
and altered to draw elements from a cross-section of disciplines such as arts, music,
history and philosophy. This new approach, feel experts in the field, will produce
‘Renaissance MBAs’ who are grounded and prepared to handle all kinds of adversities
that might hit the market in the future.
   According to Bernard Ramanantsoa, dean, HEC Paris, “There is most certainly a rise of
‘the renaissance MBA.’ It’s crucial that business school graduates have a clear
understanding and appreciation of the complex links among social, environmental and
business spheres. These leaders in training must look beyond short-term indicators to
consider the broader, long-term implications of their business decisions.”
   In keeping with the times, HEC Paris and the National Museum of Asian Art Guimet,
France, have recently signed a three-year partnership agreement. The collaboration
involves classes and seminars led by the museum speakers and curators and group work
with a focus on the national exhibitions.
   As to the need for this partnership, Ramanantsoa explains, “It was initiated to
encourage HEC Paris students to experience the arts and traditions of the Asian and
Oriental worlds with a new managerial and multi-cultural perspective. I’d like to quote
Jacques Giès, president of the National Museum of Asian Art Guimet, who said that the
ambition of the partnership is to open up the minds of future managers and create a
wider understanding of Asia, a powerful and central, yet complex continent.”
   Arguing that the current situation is as much a crisis of leadership as it is an economic
crisis, Ramanantsoa says, leadership is neither an innate quality nor something taught in
a classroom, but rather a skill that can be nurtured and strengthened in the right setting.

   He further points out that there is a growing acceptance of the idea that the most
effective business leaders of tomorrow will be people with a holistic approach to their
jobs. “In the HEC Paris MSc programmes as well in the MBA programme, we propose to
enrol our students in many classes on humanities and arts and sciences as well as
management classes,” he informs.
   Ramanantsoa adds that when it comes to art and management, the idea is not, of
course, to teach acting, painting or sculpting but rather ‘seeing,’ and more generally,
factoring in the soft skills that are important in business.
   “By offering our students an opportunity to meet art and artists, we believe the
resulting mix will produce business leaders who are able to see their decisions and
actions in a wider context and, hopefully, with a more responsible and far-sighted
approach,” he adds.