Bowman says the past two years have highlighted how fragile and turbulent the global economy can be. The upshot of this, he says, is two-fold.
“One is that it’s made people realise that you have to keep moving forward, even when you’re sitting, being furloughed or in isolation or quarantine,” Bowman says.
“It’s created, I think, a desire for people to find a way to position themselves better for the next phase of their career.
“And it also just highlighted the complexity that is out there.
“Now, more than probably ever, we need great managers and great leaders. And the MBA’s still the best pathway to that.”
Bowman also teaches strategy within the Adelaide MBA program and says, contrary to what people may believe, uncertainty is “not something that comes along every so often” – rather it is a part of the normal business environment.
“You have to understand that uncertainty is just going to be in your life and in your work. There’s no point hiding from it,” he says.
“I think some of the inexperienced managers tended towards overreaction during, for example, the COVID period.
“The best thing you can do is think about or use the frameworks and some of the theories that you get taught in an MBA, so you can actually make decisions that come from a place of logic and not panic.
“If you go back to fundamentals, and some of the important aspects of leadership and indeed strategy, then you’re much less likely to fall victim to those sorts of traps.”
Adelaide MBA student Corri Baker attests to the value of the leadership content.
“It has been really good in connecting the dots for modern leadership, which has so many unique issues now [like] management of hybrid working and the extraordinary pace of change.
“And, I guess, for issues that aren’t really emerging, that have been around a long time, but are starting to get a lot more traction and are becoming standard. Like making sure we have diversity and inclusion.”
Baker works as a senior case manager for mining projects in the Department for Energy and Mining. With two children, seven and nine, she is studying the MBA part-time to complement her science background.
It is a challenge she prepared for and is excelling at.
“One of the big decisions I had to make when I decided to do an MBA, was do I do it online?” she says.
“I asked a lot of questions of people that have done MBAs before.
“One of the main things that everyone came back with was that it just really adds to the experience and the value to do it in person.
“I’m glad that I made that decision […] because definitely the depth of knowledge and experience and learning from others is so much richer when you’re there in person.”
Baker applied for and received a scholarship towards her course.
MBA director Bowman says while the course “is a big investment,” the average student age is “towards the late thirties,” meaning they have a different perspective.
“Most of our students have very, very busy careers, families, all of the complexities and complications that come with a slightly older age range,” Bowman says.
“Interestingly, most of the students tend to focus on that as being the major investment.
“The financial element of it sort of takes care of itself – it’s a successful program and everyone that we have going through it tends to succeed and perform exceptionally well afterwards.”
In-person learning is something that Bowman says has become more appreciated post-COVID and the Adelaide MBA is highly regarded.
“Our flagship MBA is something that that students want to be in the classroom for,” he explains.
“I think everyone is a little bit zoomed out. Education is not sitting in front of a computer screen, to me anyway.
“Certainly, all the students that I’ve talked to, they’re so enthused about being back in the classroom and learning – not from the person at the front of the room, but from their fellow students representing all different kinds of backgrounds and all different industries. That’s where the value comes from.”
Bowman says the delivery of the Adelaide MBA has significantly changed over time, leaving behind “memorising and exams” and “slog” to create a valuable, enjoyable experience that includes off-site learning, like the upcoming boot camp for Fundamentals of Leadership.
“You can learn these really important concepts, but you can do it in a creative way.
“The University of Adelaide has an exceptional program. It’s academically rigorous, but practically relevant as well.
“What sets us apart is the face-to-face nature of the education. And I know there’s a lot of face-to-face programs as well. But for me, the MBA is about knowledge and network.
“The quality of the people in the class contribute to the quality of the knowledge that you get as a student as well. The calibre of students that we get here, the quality of the alumni is second to none.”
