What does modern business education in Southeast Asia look like today, what requirements do the most “advanced” business administration programs meet, and what tools do leading business schools use to create them? Olga Dmitriyna Shavenkova, program director for Digital Russia channel, is talking to the tutor of the Singapore Academy of Corporate Management, Professor Dmitry Yuryevich Khomutsky.

O. Shavenkova: It is generally accepted that the Doctor of Business Administration programs are focused on a generalist approach and have no specializations. The DBA Managing Innovation "Management of Innovation" of the Singapore Academy of Corporate Management in its name already formulates the boundaries of the areas of knowledge that are the core of the educational and research processes. Are there any contradictions with the prevailing world practice of developing and teaching DBA programs?

D. Khomutsky: The basis for the development of any business is the development and implementation of new solutions. If you constantly copy the successful decisions of market leaders, you will never become leaders yourself. You need to always be one step ahead, and this is only possible if models of developing new solutions or innovations are integrated into your activity, if you use professional terms. This is the strategic level of management. The DBA Managing Innovation program is so far the only one in the world practice and with the world practice of creating DBA programs there are no contradictions.

O. Shavenkova: For whom are similar programs created, for example DBA Managing Innovation, who will be interested and useful?

D. Khomutsky: DBA programs in the world of education are getting younger every year. There are frequent cases when young ambitious professionals of 25-30 years old who have achieved significant success in their areas of activity, have experience in launching and supporting successful projects, enter the doctoral program. They have a drive and a desire to learn the laws of business. They did not lose their passion for new achievements and victories. They want to be different from others, including in the academic sense, because the DBA degree is a very status and prestigious academic degree in the business world. Speaking about innovations, everyone understands that this is creativity and constant movement, and I would not limit the target audience of the DBA Managing Innovation program to any age limits. Age is determined not by numbers, but by interest and a desire to constantly move forward and develop. One of the main motives of those who enter the doctorate of business administration is the continuation of professional and personal growth. Many see this as a factor in the development of the companies in which they work or which they created.

O. Shavenkova: What are the advantages of the remote format of the DBA Managing Innovation program?

D. Khomutsky: First of all, this is an opportunity for a doctoral candidate to build an individual cognitive and research trajectory. Education in doctoral studies is associated with a large amount of independent research work related to the thematic preferences of the doctoral candidate. Research work requires a flexible schedule and a lot of time. At the same time, constant mentoring support of a personal tutor is needed. The distance format of doctoral studies is the best suited for combining independent work and consulting communication with a tutor. With modern means of communication, wherever a doctoral student is located - in Moscow, London, Prague, Beijing or Las Palmas - using Skype, WhatsApp, email or telephone, contact with a personal tutor is provided at almost any time. A flexible study schedule for teaching materials allows you to independently distribute time for the development of program modules. Admission to the program occurs from the first day of any calendar month. The basic duration of training is 9 months, excluding the preparation and defense of a doctoral dissertation. The structure of the program and the mentor support of the tutor allow you to decide on the topic of the dissertation work and start collecting material for it already in the early stages of training.

O. Shavenkova: DBA Managing Innovation is available in Russian. Are there any differences between the Russian version of the program and the English version?

D. Khomutsky: There are no fundamental differences. The program is designed for participants in global business processes worldwide, therefore, all foreign business cases and problem situations in the Russian version are saved. In addition, the Russian-language program is supplemented by examples and situations from the practice of Russian companies.

O. Shavenkova: Like all international doctoral programs, DBA Managing Innovation is expensive. How accessible is the program to potential doctoral students in Russia, taking into account Russian economic realities?

D. Khomutsky: The Singapore Academy of Corporate Management has a grant fund that works actively with well-known venture and technology companies. The fund collaborates with European financial institutions and supports the academic and educational activities of the academy. Each DBA degree applicant has the opportunity to apply for a grant, and in case of successful completion of a multi-stage application evaluation procedure, the grant will cover about three quarters of the total cost of training. The remaining amount payable, which must be paid at a time before the start of the training process, will amount to a little more than five hundred thousand rubles. Agree, there is a difference between the total cost of training, which is about two and a half million rubles and the grant.

O. Shavenkova: How was the DBA Managing Innovation program created? What are its prospects for development and promotion in the market of business education?

D. Khomutsky: The idea of ​​creating the program arose in the UK, and its first version was launched remotely in 2005 by the British Academy of Business (British Business Academy), I joined the project in 2009. The modern version of the DBA Managing Innovation program has changed compared to earlier versions, incorporating new tools for innovative development of organizations. What next? Next, with my colleagues Ali Abernathy and Ken Lee, I launch the Doctor of Business Development (DBD) program. I met Ali at a conference at Warwick University in Coventry in 2001, when I studied there under the MBA program, Ken joined later during a consultation project in Riga. The world has been discussing for several years the topic of launching a new generation doctoral program, but so far we do not see such a program in full-time or distance format.

O. Shavenkova: I have not encountered a combination of DBD before. Tell me ..

D. Khomutsky: The world is changing rapidly, organizations are transforming into flat structures - design, matrix, integrated networks. More and more middle, operational and project managers are participating in strategic processes, but this requires conceptual skills - the ability to see important components in any situation. This is called systemic thinking. The development of modern business, the creation of long-term value requires a systematic approach. The manager’s job consists not only in the choice of decisions, but also in the ability to see the long-term delayed consequences of these decisions. Thus, Conceptual Skills become mandatory professional competencies for many managers. The Doctor of Business Development program will place significant emphasis on the development of these competencies.

O. Shavenkova: Tell us more about Conceptual Skills

D. Khomutsky: Conceptual Skills, or conceptual competencies, is the ability to understand complex problem situations and find effective, often innovative solutions for them. Conceptual competencies are highly sought after by business. Managers with a high level of authority and responsibility (in other words, top managers) regularly face various dilemmas that cannot be solved by standard approaches. Conceptual competencies provide an opportunity to see the problem from different angles of view and to design a range of possible solutions. A manager with such competencies successfully decomposes the problem, and then chooses the best solution. In short, Conceptual Skills is about systemic thinking in business.

O. Shavenkova: How is the formation of Conceptual Skills integrated into the training process under the Doctor of Business Development program?

D. Khomutsky: In addition to studying basic applied materials on systems thinking, doctoral students carry out practical studies of real situations that they have encountered (or have encountered) in their professional lives and in managerial practice, design and evaluate the proposed solutions. Research work carried out at this stage may be the subject of individual publications of a doctoral candidate or be part of a future doctoral dissertation as a paragraph or part thereof.

O. Shavenkova: What are the benefits for the holder of a DBD (Doctor of Business Development) degree? Is it true that DBD graduates are lining up employers?

D. Khomutsky: I would not exaggerate the excitement, but the need for Conceptual Skills owners in the market is huge. For example, it was systemic thinking that allowed the future of Kimberly-Clark to change. And this was done by one person whom Kimberly-Clark once hired - Darwin Smith. Thanks to his analytical abilities and the ability to convince the board of directors, the company abandoned the leadership strategy in contract paper production and set new strategic priorities for itself - the production of final hygiene products. Kleenex and Huggies are brands now known worldwide. Of course, this is an outstanding example, however, both among fast-growing companies and those who are now at a strategic crossroads, there are a huge number of problems of various levels that they cannot successfully solve: none of their employees suggested new reasoned traffic routes . These are the major world leaders - HSBC, Accenture, Meizu, GE, Siemens and many others. Systemic thinking is in short supply, so companies are constantly looking for its owners. By the way, in addition to systems thinking, DBD doctoral studies study Agile, design thinking, innovation management, and corporate entrepreneurship.

O. Shavenkova: Which of the applicants can apply for admission to doctoral studies DBD?

D. Khomutsky: First of all, there are leaders aimed at personal development and long-term sustainable growth of their projects and companies. Among them are many young ambitious and already successful professionals who have achieved success in their areas of activity and who seek to move on. Success is important to them. For them, the status of DBD, Doctor of Business Development, is distinguished and prestigious in the world of business and the intellectual elite.

O. Shavenkova: What are the terms of study at the DBD program?

D. Khomutsky: As with the DBA Managing Innovation program, the basic duration of training is 9 months, excluding the preparation and defense of a doctoral dissertation. Admission to doctoral studies occurs on the first day of each calendar month. Formally, the total duration of training is 1 year, taking into account the defense of a doctoral dissertation. Yes, this is a busy schedule. But at the current pace of life, most professionals do not have time for leisurely, measured training. And don't forget: at the Singapore Academy, a doctoral student has ongoing mentoring support from his personal tutor. And this, of course, helps him cope with academic and research workloads.

O. Shavenkova: When will the preliminary recording and testing of applicants for the DBD program begin?

D. Khomutsky: It has already begun! The best candidates can rely on a grant that covers about three quarters of the cost of training. You can go to the website of the Singapore Academy and try your hand if the DBD (Doctor of Business Development) program is for you!


Interview date
The performance took place on March 11, 2020 in the Moscow Digital Living Room at the address: 6/1 Sretensky Boulevard, Moscow. building 1, office 4.

The terms of participation
Participation in the event is free of charge, according to the educational subscriptions of the Digital Russia channel of the VIP category.

Registration of participants
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