No doubt about it, we've entered a new age in business management. Gone are the textured glass inner sanctums of office managers who held all the power of business knowledge behind their beveled doors. Today, access to information is available through the small screen that sits on the desks inside every cubicle. We've entered a new century - knowledge that was once handed down from sage to seeker is now available to anyone with computer access.

    It wasn't too many years ago that business strategies were learned at the knee of a mentor. A young person (usually male) starting out in business would either enter his father's business or learn his skill from sitting with whoever already knew the job. In fact, this practice even existed after the first business college was established in the mid-20th century. It was still in place when the University of Detroit's School of Commerce and Finance business college opened in 1916. The motto of the school was "Business in Detroit is Now a Profession." The times and the business environment have changed dramatically since those days, but the motto still holds true. Today's motto might read "e-Business in Detroit is Now a Global Profession," and e-commerce will be a valuable part of all higher education for years to come.

    Businesses and corporations are placing increased emphasis on the technical skills of a competent work force required for new knowledge management practices. Along with this increased emphasis comes new pressure for those bright faces just out of the university gates to be ready for it. This new batch of workers must be taught not only the traditional business practices but also about the new technology that awaits them. They must be ready to accept the challenge of a dynamic work environment, and they must also be ready to continually recreate it.

    Sounds like a good plan, doesn't it? A bright future and a limitless horizon await a new generation to take control of the technical potential and create it. The unbridled enthusiasm such a vision engenders may be a bit premature, however. This change is still in the process of unfolding; there are still lingering cobwebs of the last age to be swept away. Old management styles are still around and they don't seem ready to retire. What is needed is qualified university graduates to focus this new vision.

Facing Down the Education Problems

    Businesses still face the perennial problems: lack of speed, lack of business savvy, lack of creative insight, and unnecessary spending. Traditional managers still try to direct and guide new workers in outdated ways of working. Meanwhile, today's universities are scrambling to provide the skills employable graduates need to meet the challenges they will soon be facing. An updated educational focus must be developed on university campuses and this focus must be able to evolve.  There is potential for radical change in the hallowed environment of higher learning. 

    What's required to make this change is innovation and creativity. The basic skills can be taught, but motivating creative juices is the current challenge.

Creative Dedication

    Antonio Drommi, Instructional Technology Coordinator and Instructor of Computer and Information Systems at the University of Detroit, Mercy, is a prime example of an educator who is dedicated to this challenge.  Teaching advanced programming, interface design, database design, and structured development for the Internet, Drommi typifies the driving force needed in the current educational environment. He is working hard to prepare students for the high-tech world of business in the 21st century.  It takes energy and commitment to provide industry and society with competent, compassionate and conscientious individuals who must be prepared for the challenges that lie ahead. Drommi is one of the pioneers who is breaking new ground in the sacred fields of established educational practices.  

From Problem Solving to Business Developing

    Corporate workers are no longer mere problem solvers, they are business developers who help keep companies competitive. Instant access to information via the Internet and Intranet has accelerated demands for human ingenuity, putting pressure on corporations to be faster and better than their competitors. Businesses now run in the "reactive" mode. Gone are the long-term planning sessions and smoke-filled boardroom meetings. Now workers formulate solutions in late night coffee and pizza marathons while struggling just to maintain position in the company's hierarchy. This is how employees survive in the 21st century.  The solution may be found in that old saw: "work smarter not faster." Universities provide a base from

Skilled and Motivated

   Skilled personnel provide companies with the appropriate technology and structure to adapt to the productive pressures faced by businesses these days.  Qualified individuals can meet the demands of an excellerated pace and do so without burning themselves out in the process.

   Today, there's no time for long-term, snail-paced resolutions.  Meeting deadlines and production goals must be accomplished in days, not weeks. Business structure must change along with expanding technology in order to survive. This drive to produce is complicated by the human aspect of business.  A savvy employee must have the ability to form creative solutions and compromises to accomplish the needs of the business, and do this rapidly.

    Now a web-based business environment requires not only customer access to online ordering capability, price charts, and instant and accurate company information; it also requires creative training and knowledge-based technological capabilities. Business expectations involve balancing the appropriate response time with the appropriate cost. Information must be available to the people who it will effect and who effect it in return.  Employees must engage in an ongoing exercise in understanding of company methodologies and expectations, within the context of human interaction. Changing goals must be communicated in a timely and efficient manner, but not at the expense of the people involved.

The Example of Amazon.com

    Amazon.com offers a good example of today's business challenges. The Amazon vision is a simple one: To be the e-company people think of when they want to buy anything online.  With little more than this vision and a few committed souls, Jeff Besos and John Dorr realized this vision in record time.  This simple goal is not without risks. However, with the help of ttechnological visionaries like Joe Galli, former president and COO of Amazon, they've managed to build a small empire selling everything from books to electronics online.

    In a recent speech given at Northwestern University in February 200, Joe Galli, offered the following to students:
 

"In fact, one suggestion I would make to any business student today is that, whether you either go to work for an Internet company or a company that supports an Internet company or a traditional company, boy, you've got to understand the Internet, and you need to understand the implications of what the Internet will do, because the Internet will change every company in every industry in every country. And that change is going to happen so fast, and it's going to be so significant that much of our conventional thinking about business is going to be rendered obsolete when this revolution is over."

The challenge is to teach students to use both sides of their brains: to see big pictures in small patterns, and do this without losing compassionate interpersonal skills. Educating the new generation of workers involves more than just hands on training and memorized information. It must also include the communication skills that can sometimes get lost in the process. This takes dedicated instructors with vision to motivate students to accept the challenges that await them.

Upgrading Higher Education

    Today's universities are not just preparing students for jobs. Graduates need a holistic education that combines practical courses, such as Business or Engineering, with a wide variety of Liberal Arts courses. An important aspect of the new business environment is the creativity required to "think outside the box." In the current business world, a well-balanced education is vital if graduates are to fulfill the need for personal integrity, intellectual curiosity, and personal and social values. These core qualities are just as important as - and sometimes more valuable than -- the required technological skills.

    Employers are hungry for skilled workers to fill technology-based jobs. These jobs are not just confined to openings for engineers, programmers, computer scientists, and systems analysts. There's currently a desperate need for workers to fill jobs that require all levels of computer skills. Beginning this year, most jobs will require technical competency (over 60% according to US Department of Education estimates) (Knowlton). The term "technical competency" may be interpreted in various ways, but overall, it's safe to assume that from now on all students need to graduate with computer skills and the motivation to continue learning to keep up with new technology.

    This adds more pressure to an already demanding job for university educators. The burning question of what exactly it is that employers require of potential employees these days is answered in the classrooms of higher education. The skills in demand are dynamic. In order to keep up, educators themselves must be continuing students. They must become the models for their students to emulate, while they are often required to work with outdated resources and equipment, and within restricted budgets. They also must provide students with the training needed to prepare for successful careers. This is one of the most important parts of education today.

    If trends continue, the need for trained technology employees in the years to come will pack university campuses.  Educators joining any university today with basic knowledge of modern network operating systems and common computer languages are fortunate. Passing this knowledge along while encouraging students to think critically and work well with other people almost guarantees a successful career.  Students entering the workforce with these skills can expect to receive better salaries and benefits from companies who must vie for the best workers.

    Students and educators must work toward the same goals.  Access to the necessary resources is important, but continued interpersonal skills with a focus on creative problem solving are required to offer value to future job markets for both students and university faculty.

Sources:

Galli, Joe. Kellogg School of Business Cyber Symposium speech February 2000. Fantastic Transcripts. November 24, 2000.
Knowlton, Todd. "IT Worker Shortage: Information Technology Worker Shortage Presents Challenges and Opportunities." November 24, 2000. Technische Universitat Berlin  "People and Machines." Woman Working Photograph. November 27, 2000.