Three years after the start of the pandemic, many companies still have rather empty workspaces or have swapped closed offices for shared spaces. For bosses, many of whom appreciate working from home, managing employees will never be the same before 2020. MBA programs must therefore adapt to continue to meet the needs of companies.
“My employer recommends that all employees come to the office two or three days a week, then I have to go regularly to my main client who is in Mirabel, but I still do a lot of telework,” says Chaïma Ben Miloud, manager aviation consultant at Accenture.
This reality of remote work, she experiences it as an employee, but also as a manager when she goes to her client. It was also to develop specific management skills that she decided to start an MBA (Master of Business Administration) for executives at the School of Management Sciences (ESG) of the University of Quebec in Montreal. (UQAM) in 2020, in the midst of a pandemic. The one who had already obtained a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering and a master’s degree in technological project management at Polytechnique Montréal wanted to further develop her knowledge and skills in finance and strategy.
“A large part of my MBA was done online, which is very different from face-to-face, especially to develop your network. But I was lucky because I had a very nice cohort and I was part of a small group from the North Shore who managed to be quite close despite everything,” explains the 2022 graduate.
She realizes how much the development of her leadership style, her ability to communicate and collaborate despite the distance during her MBA makes a big difference in her daily life today.
“As a manager, you have to balance things out and find a balance,” she says.
However, she notes that even with good skills that allow you to navigate well in the world of teleworking, nothing replaces the human presence. “It still takes a bit, and besides, I’m always amazed at how quickly you can resolve things that have been dragging on for weeks in person when you’re at a distance. The human side remains very important. »
All the skills related to interpersonal skills, such as the ability to communicate, to work in a team, to develop a culture of proximity despite the distance, are also highly sought after by the business community at the moment. This is according to Marie Chantale Lortie, vice-president of the board of directors of the Association des MBA du Québec (AMBAQ). “These elements are super important, since they are at the heart of the organizational culture and nothing is more important for companies today,” she says. This is what makes the message get through or not, whether we manage to keep our talents or not. »
The one who holds the position of Director of Partnerships at BDC specifies that the AMBAQ is also putting in place various initiatives to create strong links with the business community and have the pulse of businesses to then make the link with the universities that offer an MBA.
This is the number of universities that offer an MBA program in Quebec.
“For example, in May, we brought together 50 great Quebec leaders from all sectors of activity to hear their concerns and their needs,” she says. Universities were also present. This is important, because it allows them to have a better understanding of the issues and trends in organizations so that they can then adapt accordingly. This is how the MBA programs, designed by each university, will remain relevant despite the changing reality on the ground. »
