What an Associate Professor at IESE Business School Wishes They Had Known Before Entering Academia
Iñigo, an Associate Professor at IESE Business School, wishes someone had warned him about "the politics of academic institutions," explaining that the flat departmental structure fosters a sometimes "unsophisticated" competition where everyone believes they possess the optimal approach, leading to unexpected political dynamics. This insight highlights a crucial, unanticipated aspect of academic life.
Academia, Higher Education, Professional Development, Workplace Politics, Career Advice
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Iñigo
Associate Professor
IESE Business School
University of Barcelona, 2002
MBA, IESE Business School; PhD Anderson UCLA
Economics
Education
Education
None Applicable
Video Highlights
1. The academic world, while seemingly collaborative, can have unexpected political dimensions. Navigating these dynamics is crucial for success.
2. Academic departments often operate with a flat structure, leading to diverse opinions and potential conflicts over strategies and approaches.
3. While individual professors may believe their methods are superior, a broader perspective is needed to ensure effective collaboration and departmental success.
Transcript
What have you learned about this role that you wish someone had told you before you started?
One thing that comes to mind is something my advisor at UCLA told me right before I was graduating. He's still there and is a professor in marketing. He's someone I'm very thankful to have had in my life.
He mentioned something to me about the politics of academic institutions. I didn't really understand what he meant at the time, but I should have listened more.
Even though I love my school in Barcelona, and I think for the most part people are good-hearted, it is true that academia has its own dynamics. Departments are pretty flat, with no clear hierarchy.
Everyone thinks they are super sharp because they have a PhD, publish papers, and teach classes. So, we all think we have the right way of doing things or the best strategy for the school or department.
Sometimes, the politics in academia are not sophisticated in a good way, but rather in a bad way. I might be wrong, as I haven't been exposed to many other places, but that's my intuition.
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