‘It isn’t just for men in suits in the City’

The MBA could be crucial if women are to break in to the boardroom in numbers, says Russ Thorne

In 2010 Cass Business School launched a campaign to increase the number of applications they received on their MBA programme. The initiative included anew Women In Business scholarship and the MBA Leadership Series – a range of seminars, talks and networking events specifically aimed at women.

The result was a 17 per cent increase in the number of female applicants, with women making up 38 per cent of the 2010/11 class compared to 21 per cent in the previous year. It’s an impressive rise, but one that highlights the fact that even with a significant increase in female applicants there’s still a noticeable gender imbalance on MBA courses.

“At MBA level you’re doing well if you get 30 per cent women on a course,” says Henrietta Royle of the 30% Club, an organisation encouraging UK businesses to aim for 30 per cent female representation on their boards. “Why is that? Do women not value it, or are they thinking about families and don’t think they can juggle it? Or are they not being encouraged by their employers?”

There’s certainly a view among some students and academics that the relatively low number of women on MBA programmes reflects the make up of the wider business community. Dr Sionade Robinson, course leader on the Cass MBA, believes that the case for increased female representation on both MBA courses and at board level is a business one, not an equality one. “A lot of people are reflecting on the financial crisis and whether that would have been handled differently had more women been involved at higher levels,” she says. “Women evaluate risk in different ways, and debate things more broadly.”

The difference a higher proportion of women make can be seen in the classroom, she claims. “The faculty report that the quality and breadth of debate has improved; also the quality of teamwork has improved.”

The business case may be strong, but what of the idea that some women are put off by the concept of studying for a demanding qualification at a time in their lives when they might be thinking about starting a family? Royle is pragmatic. “If you want to do it, you’ll get organised. There’s no reason that you can’t do it because of children, especially when the trade-offs can be so great in later life.”

Course structures and timescales vary from intensive 12-month programmes to longer, two or more year part-time ones, giving candidates plenty of options. Rachel Killian believes that family responsibilities and MBA study can co-exist: the mother of two is currently studying on the Warwick Business School Executive MBA programme (a two-year part-time course), while continuing to work in the School’s marketing department. “It’s all about balance,” she says. “People need to choose a programme and a school that fits their life. I’ll go home, spend a few hours with the kids, then when they’ve gone to bed I’ll get my books out instead of sitting in front of the TV. Everyone’s different. But the rewards will be much greater than the compromises.”

For her, those rewards are clear. “I love coming back to the desk and using what I’ve just learned, it’s incredibly empowering and has been a big confidence boost.”

Both students and teachers cite improving management skills and building networks as key benefits for women taking the MBA, but gaining the confidence to use those assets seems to be rated even more highly. “We need to give women the tools and techniques to see that they can use their own style and still be successful,” says Dr Julie Verity, lecturer at Cranfield, London Business School, and visiting fellow at Cass. “The MBA process lets them experiment with those things in a safe environment. It’s a fabulous laboratory that will hopefully open their minds.”

But an MBA is by no means essential for women seeking success in business, suggests Laura Tenison MBE, Founder and MD of JoJo Maman Bébé and Winner of the Business Woman Award 2010. “JoJo Maman Bébé is still managed by the founding team. We are all self-taught and none of us have MBAs, and yet by being perceptive, having the ability to learn on the job, having the courage and determination to try anything and being extremely astute, we have grown organically to our current size. I would imagine this is the dream of every MBA student, but I wonder how many of them will have been overexposed to the ratio of risk and will lack the courage to go it alone?”

While an MBA might not be necessary for women with entrepreneurial flair, the qualification can open many doors for those heading for the boardroom of major firms, argues Henrietta Royle. “To get onto a board you need operational experience,” she says, “and your ability to get that kind of operational job will probably be enhanced if you have an MBA.”

“Leadership is important,” she continues, “but running things effectively, presenting things effectively, delivering a project effectively; that’s the nitty gritty of business. And all of that is covered on the MBA.”

The more schools and employers invest in encouraging higher numbers of female applicants to MBA courses, the more the international business community stands to gain. But the benefits are much more than purely professional, says Dr Verity.

“I think that as with any intensive experience, you’ll learn a lot about yourself,” she says. “An MBA is a whole life experience, not just a work thing.”

Rachel Killian would certainly agree: “The MBA isn’t just for men in suits working in the City. It’s a qualification that has great value for a lot of people.”