Unite Our Strength to Win the “Three Major Battles”
When a ship is about to sink, climbing to the top of the mast is futile; similarly, when our development direction contradicts the trends of the times, increased effort only distances us further from the school's values. The expectations for management disciplines in future societies are undergoing significant changes. Failing to recognize these shifts, to promptly clarify our main objectives, and to adjust our organizational methods to consolidate strength may lead to the sinking of our school's ship — and even those who are now desperately climbing the mast will not be spared.Research confined solely within the discipline of management risks becoming a superficial panacea—seemingly applicable to everything, yet incapable of addressing complex or substantive challenges. Like a household balm useful for insect bites or minor discomforts, it quickly proves inadequate when faced with deeper, systemic issues. Paradoxically, the greater the economic boom—even when driven by bubbles—the more favorable the conditions for generalist, all-purpose management theories to sustain themselves and prosper. Driven by the rapid development of AI and other technologies, the conventional boundaries between industries—and even among academic disciplines—are rapidly eroding. Meanwhile, emerging fields of knowledge are continuously unfolding, placing enterprises and other economic entities in the midst of a dual challenge: deconstruction of the old, and reconstruction of the new. It’s urgent to break the limitation of management discipline. The school must shift from generic, one-size-fits-all research to research that is deeply integrated with real-world contexts.
The first campaign we must successfully execute is interdisciplinary integration. As waves of new knowledge emerge at unprecedented speed, greater diligence and stronger learning ability alone are no longer sufficient. Knowledge evolves before we can master it, and in a society where only the frontrunner is remembered, learning by itself is not is not sufficient to secure a position of leadership. Relying solely on the recruitment of talented individuals through long-term contracts is not a sustainable strategy. As our primary challenges continue to evolve, the knowledge and skills these individuals bring are increasingly inadequate to address emerging problems. This mismatch leads to a growing number of stalled or ineffective talent initiatives—what might be called “incomplete talent projects.” The costs of such failures are ones we cannot afford. To avoid this, we must adopt a forward-looking and sustainable approach: engaging in project-based collaboration with those already at the forefront of emerging knowledge domains. This is the essence of managing interdisciplinary integration. In the face of an increasingly uncertain society, only a disciplinary development model grounded in solid academic foundations and strengthened by specialized, refined, unique, and innovative application scenarios can demonstrate real social value. This defines the purpose of our interdisciplinary efforts, and the direction of our disciplinary reform. A solid disciplinary foundation lies in the general theories and knowledge of management, while the specialized, refined, unique, and innovative dimensions reflect tailored solutions and capabilities for specific application scenarios. Our major interdisciplinary partners are the most advanced disciplines—science, engineering, medicine, and the humanities—that have strong, practical demands for management solutions. Only by winning the battle of interdisciplinary study can the school nurture scholar-type leading expert: academic leaders who can provide cutting-edge theoretical guidance for real and concrete problems.
The second crucial battle we must win is the integration of industry and education. While interdisciplinary collaboration is a challenge that most disciplines must embrace to remain future-ready, industry-education integration represents the distinctive value that the School of Management brings—to society, to enterprises, to the university, and to its own development. It is also the strategic battle in which the school is destined to prevail. Industry-education integration is an essential element for the development of our School of Management. It extends far beyond merely serving society or providing training and consulting services to enterprises. Our school is neither a consulting firm nor a training company; rather, it is a school of Project 985 and Double First-Class university. Our advantage in serving society, and society's need for our services, stem from our foundation in systematic, practical, and innovative theoretical research. This foundation enables us to offer solutions that are more insightful, credible, and effective. As Mao Zedong aptly stated, "To be a teacher of the people, one must first be a student of the people." Our faculty should embody this principle by actively engaging in management practices. By immersing themselves in real-world scenarios, they can swiftly cultivate the ability to engage in equal, effective dialogues with leading enterprises, major projects, business leaders, and technological elites, for conducting research that genuinely addresses critical management issues. All those form the bedrock of industry-education integration. Engagement with administrators through textbook-style lecturing and obscure academic jargon proves both ineffective and counterproductive. The adoption of an aloof scholarly persona, driven by fear of exposing professional limitations during dialogue, represents an equally undesirable approach that distances practitioners from practical realities. A true scholar-type leading expert should possess a solid theoretical foundation, keen insight into the core issues of management practices, and the ability to influence and assist managers in resolving practical management challenges. We must cultivate an environment and brand presence where administrators instinctively turn to the School of Management as their first recourse for research collaboration and theoretical insights when confronting challenges so as to establish joint platforms for theoretical research and capacity building with the practice community. These are the basic of successful industry-academia integration. To foster the development of scholar-type leading expert, our school will implement supportive policies, encouraging roles such as principal drafters of national or industry standards, key leaders in industry associations, advisors to leading enterprises and major projects, and consultants for decision-making bodies. The success of industry-education integration is fundamental to our college's growth, directly influencing the competitiveness of our professional degree programs in industry and society, as well as the employability of our graduates.
The third crucial initiative we should undertake is international expansion. The strategy of the School of Management must be in line with the national development strategy and keep pace with the management needs of leading enterprises and major projects. China possesses two significant production capacities: manufacturing capacity and engineering capacity. To sustain their growth, these substantial capacities must serve the international community. In recent years, the focus has shifted from the development of foreign enterprises in China to the global expansion of Chinese companies. The sentiment "expand globally or be left behind" resonates with many businesses and, to some extent, applies to our management school as well. Our international expansion strategy encompasses two primary avenues: collaborating with renowned foreign universities and professors, focusing on academic exchanges and student development; and partnering with influential universities in regions with substantial Chinese overseas investments, enterprises, and engineering projects, aiming to advance industry-education integration. While both avenues are vital, the latter holds greater significance. These regions, though lacking world-class institutions, undoubtedly feature regionally esteemed management schools. By effectively collaborating with these institutions, we can provide theoretical support and capacity building for enterprises transitioning from internationalization to internationality. Establishing overseas platforms for industry-education integration is a key focus of our international expansion efforts. We plan to advance this initiative through various approaches, including developing international joint micro-credentials, cultivating MBA and other professional degree students, organizing business learning visits programs for entrepreneur alumni, enhancing the competencies of local employees in Chinese enterprises abroad, providing international degree education for expatriate staff, and pursuing international accreditation for our schools and programs. For Chinese enterprises to achieve sustainable development, they must progress from internationalization to internationality; similarly, our management school must undertake this transition to truly amplify its influence.
To prevail in these three strategic campaigns, the school must establish corresponding governance frameworks and resource allocation mechanisms. This requires leveraging new-quality productive relations to fully activate the institution's organizational vitality and faculty potential, empowering those closest to the frontline to command operations. We shall cultivate cohorts of "scholar-generals," "expert-commanders," and "industry-education collaboration ambassadors," prioritizing frontline needs in resource deployment. Team coordination shall be anchored through major research undertakings, platform development initiatives shall create growth opportunities, and benefit distribution shall align with value contributions in resolving the school's major institutional challenges. These strategic topics and corresponding policy measures will unfold progressively in forthcoming “Dean’s Message”.
