If we want better managers, we need better training. If we want better training, we need better teachers. If we want better teachers, we need better PhDs. But a business PhD is a very different thing to PhDs in other disciplines (which is a whole other can of worms I won’t open here). For business schools, PhD candidates should be required to work between 6-12 months in an organisation that is working in the field of their PhD thesis. This can be a business, an NGO, government or entrepreneurial hub, it doesn’t matter, but it should be a target group of their research. A representative of the organisation could also be on the PhD committee deciding whether a student is awarded this degree.
