5 MBA readings for every newsroom
For the last 18 months, I’ve been doing IE’s Global MBA programme alongside my job on the Financial Times' visual & data journalism team. It’s been difficult to balance school, work and the rest of life, but now that I’ve made it to the end, I can look back and say it was worth it.
I was very lucky to have my employer sponsor me through the programme because it’s otherwise a very expensive endeavour, so I wanted to share some of my top learnings from the programme for others who are also looking to better understand management and strategy.
To start off, here are my 5 favourite readings from my classes most relevant to newsrooms:
On leadership and change management
- Leadership That Gets Results: On six leadership styles and when to use them
- Leading Change: A framework for change management and the pitfalls to look out for
On developing strategy
- The Five Competitive Forces that Shape Strategy: On Michael Porter's groundbreaking 5 Forces framework for analysing any industry
- Reinventing Your Business Model: On understanding your current business model and recognising when you might need a new one
On fostering innovation
- The Innovation Value Chain: On identifying and tackling weaknesses in the way innovation is generated and spread within your company
One of my favourite things about the MBA was being able to discuss these topics and case studies with people from a wide range of disciplines and from all around the world. To that end, I’m hosting several virtual roundtable discussions on these topics as part of a new community-driven learning & development project, bringing together people from a diverse set of industries. If you’re interested in getting involved, sign up for more information at https://learnaboutfrom.com
Or… come back here (or my Twitter feed) in the coming months and get more of my top takeaways.
Other blog posts I’m planning include what newsrooms can learn about...
- moving operations from print to digital… from supply chain management
- building winning coalitions in your workplace… from non-market strategy
- fostering innovation in traditional newsrooms… from corporate entrepreneurship
- organising and creating incentives for cross-disciplinary teams… from management control
If there are any topics you’d like me to write about, please let me know at @joannaskao on Twitter or email me at jskao at alum.mit.edu.