Read Online Critical Chain: A Business Novel by Eliyahu M. Goldratt - Free Book Online

last few weeks I've used every opportunity to check the opinion of managers about the validity of our teaching. Bernie, it's horrible. There is widespread awareness that it's basically useless."

"Aren't you exaggerating?"

At any other time such a comment would trigger some harsh response from B.J. Any other time Bernard would not think of making such a comment.

"Some managers told me that they are disillusioned to the extent that they are no longer looking for young, bright MBAs. Others told me that they even discourage their people from registering for an MBA program."

Bernard had sufficient time to relate her message to his experience. It matched. Slowly, he says, "What you are claiming is that we are building our grand castles on quicksand."

"Let's face it, Bernie. We don't deliver and the market, to a large extent, already knows it."

They drive in silence for a while. Bernie tries to digest. "But B.J., it can't be. If you are right, nobody would have registered. We charge tens of thousands of dollars, they spend years of their lives, and we don't deliver anything of value? If that were true they would have thrown stones at us. No, B.J., you must be wrong."

"Bernie, what do you want? You want me to say that I'm wrong? You want to convince yourself that I'm just an hysterical woman who is absolutely wrong? But Bernard, what for? It does not change the facts."

At last she reached him. He cannot regard it any longer as a concern, as another item on the agenda. He knows she is right. Almost none of his friends consider an MBA important. He himself, when hiring managers, doesn't consider it as relevant anymore. Still . . .

"B.J., answer me just that. What is saving us from tar and feathers?"

"The respect for higher education," she answers in a lifeless voice. "Respect that is well-deserved by some of our departments but not by others."

It makes sense to him. His mind is racing now, trying to see the ramifications. "When organizations overcome the respect for a university degree the real collapse will happen. I wonder how many business schools will survive then. B.J., we must do something about it. We must save our business schools. They amount to half the university."

"There is nothing to do," B.J. says flatly. "Management is an art and we try to teach it as if it is a science. It cannot work, it doesn't work, and it will never work."

"I don't agree," Bernard is adamant. "It's not art. Organizations have procedures. They operate through defined structures. They institute rules. Management is not based just on impressions and intuition. In organizations many things can even be measured by numbers."

She thinks about it. "You may be right," she says, not willing to argue. "Do you really think that, in its current state, management is like an accurate science?"

"If it were, we wouldn't face the problem," he agrees.

"Do you also agree that we should not count on a miracle? That we should not behave as if we expect business know-how to be turned into science in the near future?"

She doesn't wait for him to agree. "So one thing is clear. We cannot sit around, doing nothing, waiting for the unavoidable collapse of our business schools. Bernard, we must move. It's our responsibility."

"What do you suggest we do?" He speaks so softly she barely hears him.

"There is only one thing that we can and must do. We must start to prudently shrink our business schools."

For another three miles no one says a word. Bernard thinks about what it means. B.J. does the same.

"B.J., I must bitterly thank you, but you didn't fly here just to open my eyes. You have a problem. What is it?"

"Bernie, I'm not up to it," she confesses. "I fought to become the president of a university in order to build. To build a place for young and not-so-young people to grow. Now I know I must slash, that's the only way, still I cannot bring myself to be a butcher."

"I understand," he quietly says. "But B.J., now we both know what will happen if we