Management training — overture or finale?

Any reflection upon education and training for managers over the last twenty years must, at this point in time, be tinged with more than a small element of cynicism. That the world in which we live has changed dramatically is yesterday's news. The unavoidable fact is, however, that there have been significantly few changes in the training that we provide for our managers. The methodology has been refined, but the method remains very much the same. We may pretend differently; but in many instances we still realise, deep down, that we are in the entertainment business, albeit clothed in more sophisticated and palatable trappings.