Areas of Expertise: microfinance, nonprofits management, and governance. Education: Degree course in Economics and Social Science (1992) and Ph.D. in Business Administration (1998), both at UMONS.Teaching in the MBA Solvay since: 2005. Course(s) taught at the MBA Solvay: “Microfinance: from conception to management” (European Microfinance Programme), “Nonprofits Management” (MBA)
Why have you chosen a career in teaching?
Since I was a teenager, I was deeply interested in economic and social development issues. So when I was offered a job as a research and teaching assistant in management, I was happy to accept it, provided I would be free to devote my research to microfinance organizations, a field which was not perceived as very interesting at the time, but which got much more attention later on. That’s how I became involved in teaching. I live in a family where many people have a vocation for teaching; I have to admit that this was not my case originally but I have come up to liking it, even though I have to recognize that I am still more interested in field research.
Why do you teach at the MBA Solvay?
While I was getting involved with our microfinance projects, I was asked by Daniel Traça (who was in charge of the MBA at that time) whether I would accept to teach a course on “nonprofits management”. I was very pleased to accept this proposition for two reasons. First, because I think that a modern MBA education should include an introduction to nonprofits organizations as they represent a major reality in today’s world. Second, because my research in microfinance (specifically on governance) and my involvement in numerous nonprofits since high school has totally convinced me that a lot can be done for nonprofits and the accomplishment of their missions just by improving their management practices. So being part of this agenda makes sense to me.
How is MBA Solvay different from other schools and programmes you have taught in?
For me, the great aspects with the course I am teaching in the MBA Solvay is the partnerships that came with it. First in the design of the course itself. In order to identify the right contents, I was fortunate to benefit from very interesting discussions with some colleagues – and here I would like to give a special thanks to Daniel Traça and Eric De Keuleneer who did contribute a lot to this brainstorming. Then in running the programme itself. Indeed the course is based on a partnership established with Toolbox and Triodos which both support the course in order to offer MBA students the opportunity to work on real consulting jobs. Indeed the assessment of the course is based on team work where teams are composed of one or two MBA students, one volunteer from Toolbox (a Belgian NGO which has specialized in helping other nonprofits to improve their management practices) and an executive coming from the very nonprofits in which those analyses will be conducted. This combination creates a great experience and tremendously enriches the interest of the course.
What are the most important qualities needed to be a successful manager and especially in the nonprofit sector?
I think that in nonprofits, it is even more important than in for-profit firms to be true to the real mission of the organization as it is the core of what a NPO is about. So, having a clear vision of this mission and being honestly and deeply true to it should be the first quality that a nonprofit manager should have. Once this is said, I believe that most of the other qualities required are the same as for any other organization with maybe a little more orientation towards stakeholders analysis as nonprofits tend to be by nature more stakeholders-oriented than regular firms. From that point of view, I even think that many for-profit firms often have a lot to learn from nonprofits, therefore giving another justification to why a “nonprofits management” course fits well in the MBA.
How do you think your courses at the MBA Solvay prepare students for a responsible managerial career?
It may be a little presumptuous to respond to this question but let’s just say that any teacher in the world is trying to prepare his/her students to be responsible citizens and professionals in the field he/she is teaching. To which extent do we succeed in doing this, particularly in business schools? I honestly feel that this is – at least – opened to discussion. But it should be our goal.
What are your five priorities for the MBA?
First of all, I think any university program should aim at turning their students into true intellectuals (Yes I dare use the word!), that is, people who are able to use their skills and knowledge to “think the world” and make sense of their own actions. That should be the top priority. For the MBA more specifically, I think that the great added value is in the mix of profile, experience, and background that characterizes a MBA class. So, building bridges and coming up with creative but relevant applied solutions should be part of the specific agenda of such a program.
Any suggested readings?!
There are quite a few ways of answering this question.
If you ask me what I am reading the most, it is by far newsmagazines and newspapers. In this category, my « personal » suggestion is to combine “Le Monde Diplomatique” and “The Economist”; makes for a great cocktail !
If you are asking for references related to my teaching in the MBA, then I would suggest to combine three books : “Nonprofit Organizations – Theory, management, policy” by Helmut Anheier (2005, Routledge, 450 pages), “Managerial Economics in Non-Profit Organizations” by Marc Jegers (from the VUB), (2008, Routledge,165 pages), and -older and harder to find, but very nice-, “Strategic Management for Nonprofit Organizations – Theory and cases” by Sharon Oster (1995, Oxford University Press, 350 pages).
If at last, you are asking me what are the books that I would take along for a solitary lifetime on an island, then my choice (not very original I am afraid except maybe for the combination) would be: “Development as Freedom” by Amartya Sen, “Cien años de soledad” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and, last but certainly not least, “The Name of the Rose” by Umberto Eco.
What do you do in your free time?!
There are many things that I like to do. Swimming, reading in my bath tub, listening to Jazz music, having a glass of wine with good friends, taking long walks alone (I agree with Olivier Witmeur, it helps clarify stuff!), discovering new places (I love to travel) and more than anything else, having great times with my two boys. Whatever we do in life, as far as I am concerned, there is nothing like being a father; beats everything !

We can not disclose a lot about the programme, as it has some surprises for the participants. What we can advance is that the day will start wiht the welcome of Hugues Pirotte, director of MBA Solvay.

They will then have their first course with marketing professor Christian Bluemelhuber. This is a one day special course to get the brains rolling. The only thing we can advance is the title: Why Strategy?

If you do not know Christian Bluemelhuber,  he holds the InBev-Baillet Latour Chair in Euromarketing at the Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management. These videos will give you an idea of his style and what his courses are like. They were recorded during The Top Managers Event 2008, where Christian gave the presentation Successful leaders on Customer focused strategies in a worldwide economy.

After this course, the participants will be given a set of tasks to accomplish downtown, with a final debriefing and networking session in the center of Brussels well into the night.

Welcome to the MBA rush!

The presentation’s tips and tricks were structured around the following areas:

• Working harder
• Resisting stress
• A better office
• A better time management
• Targeted personal finance
• Set your objective
• Set your leadership
• Set your team
• The small business cockpit

Patrick M. Georges is a professor in management, an active neurosurgeon and an expert consultant to managers. He advises and teaches managers worldwide on how to improve effectivity at personal, team and business levels. He invented the Management Cockpit, a war room used  by worldwide business managers now included in the SAP software.

You can download Patrick Georges’ presentation slides by clicking on this link: How to amplify your intelligence: Tips and tricks from brain surgeons to entrepreneurs .

This presentation was possible thanks to the MBA Solvay sponsorship of the Beta Group. Beyond the financial help to a great entrepreneurial initiative in Brussels, we try to bring a short  by one of our instructors or coaches that is relevant and useful to the audience.

Our prior presenter and first of MBA Solvay was Pascal Ledouble, who made a presentation about how to sell yourself doing short pitches and to cause a good first impression. Pascal is one of the professional coaches working with MBA Solvay students to help them develop their interpersonal skills, under the direction of Kay Lombardo and Bob Ward.

The Beta Group is a networking initiative promoted by Jean Derely, where local start-ups showcase their products for five minutes and then are exposed to a few questions from the audience. The Beta Group is the best and more popular Internet business networking event in Belgium. Among its participants you can meet investors, entrepreneurs and professionals open to discuss the business and new projects.

You can see the videos of the presentations done by the start-ups in the site of the RTBF Labs, who transmitted the event live for the first time.

The Career Advancement Programme is one of the main assets that differenciates MBA Solvay from other MBA. The focus in the professional progression of each individual, both in the short and the long term, is what makes our program stand out in terms of career progression. This has been recognized by the Financial Times EMBA 2008 Ranking, where MBA Solvay scores the 9th worldwide position in career progression.

Click here to view the embedded video.

In this interview, Guido Krickx presents his views on business strategy and the challenges in terms of strategy due to the current economic crisis. He specifically responded to the following questions:

• What makes strategy special?
• What is special about MBA Solvay?
• What challenges do you see for firms in the future?
• What lessons can we learn from the current crisis?
• What is the competitive advantage of having an MBA?
• What is your best lesson of teaching at MBA Solvay?

Coming up in the next few weeks are the interviews with Kay Lombardo, Careers Manager at MBA Solvay, and alumnus Xavier Serret, Managing director at Insucom. We have also recorded quite a few testimonials from alumni at last saturday’s MBA Solvay Alumni Day.

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