The current business environment is unforgiving for new entrants. A management degree today is only as good as the skills it teaches. As we shape the next generation of business leaders, faculty across global business schools face the challenge of ensuring MBA and PGDM graduates don’t just get a degree but walk out with skills that match industry expectations.

Data tells the story. Employers now prioritize interpersonal, communication and data analysis skills more than niche technical knowledge. This trend of preferences reflects that the nature of work is changing. Management programs must anticipate the following shifts to remain relevant:

1. Communication, cross-cultural competence & emotional intelligence

The ability to communicate clearly and respond empathetically are seen as “bread-and-butter” skills for MBA and PGDM graduates. Employers are looking at interpersonal skills as the top hiring criteria. In multicultural workplaces, soft skills like active listening, storytelling, cross-cultural empathy and multilingual communication make the difference between leading with impact and just managing teams.

2. Strategic thinking and problem solving

Strategic thinking is the difference between reacting to market shifts and driving them. Real-world business challenges like entry into emerging markets, digital transformation, mergers and acquisitions (M&A) all require structured thinking under ambiguity which cannot be learnt just through textbook frameworks.

At top business schools globally, strategy education begins with foundational courses but it’s the case method and field immersion projects that sharpen decision-making. We’ve seen similar impact through capstone projects that require students to build strategy roadmaps in real time for partner companies.

3. Data fluency & tech-readiness

Almost 80% of corporate recruiters surveyed in 2023 said Web3, blockchain and AI will be essential for management roles in the next five years. Yet too many business courses are still stuck in old quantitative methods.

At some business schools, mandatory modules like Data Analytics for Managers ensure proficiency in R, Tableau and SQL. Business curricula include training in Python, Power BI and introductory machine learning concepts that enable students to question data integrity, run regressions or forecast demand without leaning on tech teams.

4. Operations & supply chain intelligence

When the pandemic disrupted supply chains, companies found out the hard way how little managerial bandwidth existed in logistics and procurement. Operational excellence is now at the heart of strategy. Graduates who know just-in-time systems, vendor risk management or logistics optimization are in high demand across industries. Supply chain in practice courses give students access to simulations and real-world data from partner companies.

5. Leadership that scales

Leadership is often mistaken for charisma. But as faculty and recruiters alike know, sustainable leadership requires grit, accountability, and vision. Programs that rely solely on academic excellence often graduate managers, not leaders. Business schools are launching programmeslike the Leadership Discovery Process, identifying and refining their personal leadership styles. Similarly, we focus on experiential leadership: crisis simulations, ethics committees, and boardroom debates. Across business education, there is growing emphasis on enabling leaders who can build consensus, rally diverse teams, and take tough calls under pressure.

6. Tech-aware entrepreneurship and innovation

The ability to prototype, test, and scale ideas is a high-order skill. Students must know how to validate market hypotheses, run MVP experiments, and pivot models based on feedback. Institutions are making this real through immersive treks, where students launch prototypes in new markets. These experiences imbue courage and discipline—knowing when to pursue an idea and when to let it go.

7. Ethics, equity, and the role of the faculty

Skills mean little if not underpinned by integrity. In a world of greenwashing, data leaks, and workplace toxicity, ethical reasoning is paramount. Ethics must be woven into finance, marketing, and operations.Faculty can play a key role, as instructors and role models. The moral compass of cohorts is shaped by the faculty’s lived experiences, professional boundaries, and engagement styles. Case studies now include ethical dilemmas drawn from recent industry crises, which allows students to debate what “doing the right thing” truly means. The author is Dean at BSM, Hyderabad.