University‐Based Management Development: Trends, Problems, and Opportunities

“What we need is a better trained workforce.” “Our managers need to be trained how to manage today’s changing worker.” “Our people’s skills are becoming obsolete at a faster rate than ever.” “If we’re going to be competitive, we need more and better training.” These are just a few of the phrases we hear from executives in all types of organizations. With formalized employee education and training now a $30 billion business annually, America’s business sector continues to spend large sums of money on educating its workers. Nearly 69 percent is spent on training designed and delivered using corporate in‐house resources. Of the remaining, 31 percent or $9 billion invested with outside providers, four year colleges and universities account for the biggest share with $2.9 billion (Carnevale 1990) of what has become a major industry in this country.The purpose of this essay is to examine some of the trends, problems, and opportunities for college and university based management development programs, and to sketch a picture of what the future may hold. Finally, a series of recommendations is offered on how higher education institutions might effectively deal with the challenges of the next decade.