When students arrive at RSM on exchange from other international business schools, they comment on two things, says Chair of the Exchange Programme & Academic Director MSc IM Rene Olie. The first is the degree of interactivity in class; the second is how challenging the programmes are. “Class-time at RSM is for discussion and debate of material, not merely for instruction,” says Olie. “Programmes are also very demanding – 2 ECTS at RSM are like 4 ECTS at another school. These are the things (visiting) students notice that stand us apart.”

There has long been a tug-of-war at business schools between academic rigour and practical application. But RSM deliberately emphasises both – claiming they are two sides of the same leadership coin.

“At RSM, hard and soft skills are both considered fundamental to leadership,” says Interim Dean Berend Wierenga. “You may be a convincing communicator, but if you lack judgement, you are not a leader. Leadership requires a broad foundation of knowledge; strong analytical skills; the ability to persuade others to follow your vision – a complex set of soft and hard skills. The idea is that at RSM, you learn this first through theory, and then by applying your ideas in practice.”

Six core methods underpin this integrated approach. In the words of RSM’s leaders, these are:

Knowledge backbone:
“At RSM a contingent of active researchers teaches on every programme from the bachelor to the MBA, while our PhD, MPhil and MSc students work side-by-side with established scholars. What is the value of this academic emphasis in terms of leadership development? Because academic theory trains you to think and analyse: to break down an issue into fundamental pieces. RSM students are encouraged to challenge assumptions and the ideas of management gurus – to think for themselves. These are important qualities for innovation and important qualities for future leaders.” – Ale Smidts, Dean of Research, Scientific Director of ERIM.

International experience:
“Every student at RSM is encouraged to experience business abroad. The school’s partner school network of more than 100 schools – a network that is unmatched in Europe – helps facilitate this by allowing our students to go on exchange at top schools worldwide. Most degree programmes also offer international study trips and internships. And then there is the student body itself. More than 80 nationalities interact daily within our programmes. This exposure to diversity helps our students to develop a certain maturity and international mindset, as well as a significant level of cross-cultural expertise.” – Interim Dean Berend Wierenga.

Open and Interactive Learning environment:
“Despite being an international school, we deliberately capitalise on our Dutch roots to bring certain values into the programmes. The Dutch are known for their openness to the outside world; for being good with languages and accepting of difference. These values help us to foster a sense of no dominant culture in the classroom, which allows us to preserve the rich diversity of opinion. Another value is equality – students at RSM take part in a ‘dialogue of learning’ between their peers and the instructors. These values are there to facilitate learning but also, we hope, encourage a tolerant and global outlook in the students themselves.” – Mike Page, Dean of Post-Experience Programmes.  

Softer side of management:
“Personal leadership development is at its most intense in the MBA programmes, where a significant portion of the programme is dedicated to personal behavioural transformation. However at RSM we believe that all students need a degree of soft skill competency. For our undergraduate students this might mean better communication skills from more team-work on projects; in our PhD programme, better presentations from extra sub-courses in presenting skills. The objective is that every student at RSM should have the chance to develop his or her personal abilities according to what is appropriate for their particular career stage.” – Eric Waarts, Dean BSc & MSc Programmes.

Experiential learning:
“Students at RSM are regularly placed in situations so real that they could substitute for the actual experience. This could be consulting for a company, or conducting applied research. Some first-year bachelor students, for instance, develop strategic plans for companies and pitch them to a ‘board’ of executives. Our MBA participants take part in a week-long consultancy project and a three-month summer associateship. The fact that we have multinational companies on our doorstep makes integrating theory with practice that much easier to do. Students take the concepts from the functional courses, then live them in practice – it is all about leadership development.” – Eric Waarts, Dean BSc & MSc Programmes.

Ethical Leadership:
“In September, RSM signed the UN Global Compact’s Principles of Responsible Management Education [a pledge to adhere to a framework for advancing the cause of corporate social responsibility]. Corporate social responsibility as a topic of research and education is already an important area for RSM – we have one of the largest departments dedicated to ‘business and society management’ in Europe. Signing the pledge signals in a strong way to the external world that RSM strives to produce leaders who adhere to the highest levels of good conduct. How do you teach that? By ensuring that the knowledge students’ gain and the experiences they have on the programmes make them aware of the very large impact their decisions have on the world as future leaders.” – Mike Page, Dean of Post-Experience Programmes.

11 June 2008