The Magic Number Seven—Plus or Minus a Couple of Managers

This article presents a reply by the author of the book, Managers Not MBAs: A Hard Look at the Soft Practice of Managing & Management Development. Given that the book constitutes a rather harsh critique of business schools in general and their mothership Master of Business Administration (MBA) programs in particular, the author takes it as an encouraging sign that so many reviewers, here and in other journals, have at least entertained if not necessarily embraced its messages. For that reason, the author especially appreciates Ray Miles' comment about the second half of the book being more important than the first. The issue, ultimately, is not about what's wrong with the MBA, but what can be made right with management education. Michael Barnett's review proved the most interesting to the author, not only because he is so articulately critical in places, but also because this stimulated the author to think more carefully. The author likes Professor Armstrong's point about academics getting out into the wo...