Grenoble Dean Says B-School Accreditation Needs Reform

Thierry Grange, Dean of Grenoble Ecole de Management, argues that the current accreditation model is not appropriate for many business schools, especially in emerging markets

Thierry Grange is the Dean of Grenoble’s Ecole de Management and co-chairman of the AACSB, the main US b-school accreditation body

In a recent interview with the International Herald Tribune, Thierry Grange, Dean of Grenoble Ecole de Management, says that globalization calls for a reconsideration of the criteria used to evaluate the quality of business schools and accredit them.

Thierry Grange has recently been nominated co-chairman of the Blue Ribbon Committee on Accreditation Quality, a team of business and business school experts set up by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the oldest and most important accreditation body for business education, to review its accreditation standards, eligibility criteria, and the accreditation process.

“We have been American-o-centric for decades,” he said to the IHT. “Since 2000 you have had a revolution. Business education is booming, and more and more schools in China, Asia and Europe are saying ‘We think we are a good institution. We would like to apply to become accredited.’ This aspect of globalization calls for a reconsideration of what we do,” he said, adding that the “American model of a business school inside a research university” may not be appropriate for other cultures.

Click here to read the full article, and here to read our latest interview with this unconventional business school Dean.

Comments

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Thursday 30th June 2011, 19.30 (UTC)

Nathan Portman

the actual iht story goes into detail about the relationship of for-profit education insittuions and the indeopendent bodies that ccredit them - a lot of this stuff is for mutual benefit and it's unclear how it affects the end user these days ll schools boast of their accreditations so what does it actually mean?

Sunday 3rd July 2011, 14.53 (UTC)

Mark Murray

Good on this man for setting up a management school in Grenoble. He looks surprisingly scruffy for a business leader!

Monday 11th July 2011, 15.12 (UTC)

Sue Jillings

I completely agree - from my limited experience of working with international universities and business schools, accreditation can sometimes be misleading and distracting - it's more important to understand the profiles and skill sets of student cohorts at each school.

Wednesday 28th September 2011, 21.51 (UTC)

http://www.businessbecause.com/resume

hats off!!