Getting Your MBA in a Digital World

Getting Your MBA in a Digital World
Today’s MBAs: Filling a Digital Skills Gap
There’s a digital skills gap among leaders today, and it widens with each new technology that takes hold of the world’s imagination. What works in the analog world doesn’t always translate to digital know-how, particularly when it comes to responsiveness.

Digital media and 24/7 conversations have presented new challenges and opportunities on a brave new landscape. It has become critically important to be able to satisfy competing priorities in real time. Leaders who know how to communicate virtually across multiple channels can guide discussions and control dialogue.
Success in modern leadership means knowing how to engage people you don’t know and may never know face to face. Where we once traveled to meet our colleagues in other states or countries, we can use Skype and FaceTime instead. Professionals who have experience working remotely on projects to complete their online MBA degree, for example, often find that they can build a long-lasting relationship with a virtual stranger across a web chat.
That’s just part of adapting to leadership in 2013 and beyond. Leaders should also understand how our digital universe impacts marketing, finance, sales, human resources and other key organizational functions. The benefits of having more channels for sharing your message are especially valuable for marketing-minded MBAs, who can immediately see the applications for targeting key demographics around the world.

Finance is more globally intertwined than ever before, which gives the investment and wealth management professionals new reasons to stay up at night. Sales teams can be more geographically diverse than ever before, with centralized online tools for collaboration and measurement. The human resources sector has also seen major changes in how applicants and employees are sourced, onboarded, trained, and managed via digital channels.
Today’s on-demand talent marketplace makes it easy to contact prospective employees, even if they aren’t looking for a new job. New hires can fill out all the required paperwork, participate in self-guided orientation modules, and complete other necessary training online. No pen, paper or proper desk required.
It really is an exciting time for tech-savvy MBAs to pave a whole new path to the future by exploring long-time areas of interest that are experiencing rapid change. You don’t need to be a programmer or an engineer to take advantage of technology-driven workplace trends. The way you use digital devices and media in your daily life is simply a precursor to what’s next for your career.