Professors of Practice: The Missing Gear in Business-School Reform

“When MBAs leave with case-method swagger but no clue how to steer a net‑zero supply chain or deploy Gen‑AI ethically, something is off. Andy Hoffman called it a ‘gaping moral hole.’ The fastest way to patch that hole? Empower Professors of Practice (PoPs) to turn theory into measurable transformation.”

WHY YOU SHOULD CARE
• Problem: Traditional faculty incentives reward citations over societal impact, while students and employers crave capability over credentials.
• Solution: Professors of Practice—industry‑seasoned leaders embedded inside business schools—convert live projects into learning, revenue, and impact dashboards.
• Proof: One PoP portfolio touched 100+ companies, spawned 80 new ventures, created 176 jobs, and delivered over £1 million in institutional value.

WHAT’S BROKEN IN MANAGEMENT EDUCATION?
Legacy Model → New Reality
- Shareholder‑first doctrine → Multi‑stakeholder value & ESG risk
- Static 2‑year MBAs → Stackable, on‑demand micro‑credentials
- Prestige signalling (rankings) → Demonstrable capability & impact
- Faculty‑centric silos → Hybrid ecosystems of academics, tech, industry

PROFESSORS OF PRACTICE—WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE?
A PoP is a tri‑lingual connector fluent in:
1. Industry Credibility – 25+ years guiding hyper‑growth firms and turnarounds.
2. Pedagogical Intelligence – designs CMI Level 7 leadership modules, micro‑credentials, and hybrid studios.
3. Transformation Delivery – runs revenue‑generating consulting and growth labs that appear on the university’s balance sheet.

“I don’t just teach leadership. I build the systems that make it real.” —Seasoned PoP

SIX WAYS PoPs DELIVER THE REFORM HOFFMAN DEMANDS
1) Board‑Room Resonance
PoPs turn live corporate cases into practitioner white‑papers that count toward impact—not just impact factor.

2) Incentive Hacks
Because PoPs carry P&L responsibility, deans can affix a hard number to course redesign: £964,710 generated in one PoP’s latest year.

3) Plug‑and‑Play Curriculum
Need an AI‑Ethics Sprint or Circular‑Economy Lab this semester? PoPs drop modular tiles into core courses without a complete syllabus rewrite.

4) Purpose Pipeline for Gen‑Z
Students join leadership labs that deliver 176 real internships and apprenticeships, underscoring purpose with paychecks.

5) Ethics Operationalised
Ex‑executive PoPs fold stakeholder dialogues and ESG scorecards into every assignment—shifting ethics from a stand‑alone class to an operating habit.

6) Self‑Funding Reform
A three‑tier PoP model (Industry → School → University) produced 80 start‑ups and leveraged over £250,000 in grants—evidence that reform can pay its own way.

INSIDE THE THREE‑TIER PROFESSOR OF PRACTICE MODEL
Tier 1 – Commercial Engagement
Stakeholders: SMEs, Corporates
KPIs: Revenue, client NPS, export readiness

Tier 2 – Business School
Stakeholders: Deans, Faculty
KPIs: Accredited modules, ranking impact, student satisfaction

Tier 3 – University
Stakeholders: Vice‑Chancellor, Enterprise Office
KPIs: KEF score, regional jobs, grant wins

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