Expert team from Haas School of Business: IAB can lead the way in entrepreneurship education in Central Asia
IAB and Haas School of Business from UC, Berkeley, grow cooperation: International Academy of Business has taken in key recommendations from a presentation made by David Lashley, Andrew Lee, Joe Regenbogen and Kory Vargas Caro, all MBA candidates 2015 of Haas School of Business.
Changing behavior patterns to suit more entrepreneurial needs, enhancing cross-functionality and process efficiency were the key recommendations shared by a group of four MBA students after their three-week in-depth analysis of IAB work procedures and interaction with students, faculty, staff and top management.
The expert group says that the pillar on which to grow entrepreneurial capacities is out there at IAB, but it needs to be further strengthened and enhanced.
David Lashley, certified public accountant with extensive experience at the Walt Disney Company and Deloitte & Touche under his belt, says that IAB can lead the way in entrepreneurship education.
“Why IAB can do it? I think It’s a combination of competitive environment and then also IAB’s origins - there is no one else here who is currently doing it. There is an opportunity in the marketplace for entrepreneurial university. And then IAB is a more nimble organisation. They already have the foresight to identify this opportunity, and they are taking actions to actually go forth and do the strategy so it seems like you have the ability to do it.”
Andrew Lee, an experienced economist with military background believes that forward planning and strategy are essential to make things progress.
“I think that the president (of IAB) Assylbek Kozhakhmetov has noticed that there is an opportunity here in terms of entrepreneurial education. You need that kind of visionary leader in order to get the first step going and I think he’s taking a lot of tangible steps towards achieving that goal whether it is achieving autonomy, opening up an incubator, opening up the different types of faculties and disciplines that the school is going to teach. I think that having that kind of leadership at the top and pushing it down throughout I think people are going to get excited about and run with the idea.”
The team’s efforts heavily relied on people’s accounts and willingness to share information that serves as a basis for the resultant recommendation package.
“I think the one thing that we take away is the generosity of people - whether that be hosting us in their houses and welcoming us over for dinner or helping us with our project and taking us into their office, They’ve spent as much time with us as we needed to understand their point of view. That has been something that has been really heart-warming and generous of people here,” – Andrew Lee says.
The other two team members are Kory Vargas Caro, Stanford University graduate with an avid interest in politics and a wealth of experience in political fundraising activities and Joseph Regenbogen, Colgate University graduate with the current professional emphasis being on marketing and media.
The visit is a result of long-term cooperation between IAB and University of California, Berkeley, the U.S. Professional ties were sparked by last year’s Bolashak programme part of which was that a big group of IAB top management had had a tour around entrepreneurial universities in the United States of America.