General Management Skills: Do Practitioners and Academic Faculty Agree on Their Importance?

Recently, trends in business have caused academic leaders to contemplate restructuring both the content and teaching methods in undergraduate curricula. Although curriculum deficiencies have been well documented, the issue of how business school graduates ought to be prepared for careers has not been adequately resolved. Differences exist between what practitioners need and instructional strategies employed. This 1995 research study assessed the perceptions of academic faculty and business practitioners regarding the importance of various general management skills. Results show significant differences between practitioners and professors, particularly regarding oral and written communication abilities, problem analysis abilities, and teamwork.