5 things PR pros might not like about MBA programs

The comments were far better than the post. Thanks to those who shared it and contributed to the discussion.

I’ll share some of the things I didn’t like about the degree so PR pros considering a management education can hear both sides of the story.

1. There’s a rational framework for every answer … huh? The MBA is a degree of tools. They are designed to systematize business and refine processes. While the analytical frameworks taught in an MBA are extremely valuable, solutions in business are not always found via rational methodologies. For instance, would you ever draw an Ishikawa diagram after a reporter said your pitch was garbage? The “MBA approach” often neglects to account for (or simply downplays) human emotions and intuition.

2. Essential PR skills are building and managing relationships. No classroom can teach this. PR is a thoroughly human to human business, now more than ever due to social media. If you want to excel, you better be socially adept, able to read people, and know, quickly, what they dislike. Did I learn anything about this from my MBA? Maybe. But I learned a lot more about it through travel, talking to people over vodkas for hours, watching my Dad work a room, and so on.