Getting ahead of the tech curve

Canada's business schools are sprinting into action so they can prepare tomorrow's business leaders with the knowledge and skills to effectively manage and leverage technology - something most agree will be necessary to successfully lead businesses in the coming years. It's a formidable challenge for the schools, however, given the rapid and massive technological changes of today, and those just around the corner, including mobile technology and cloud computing.

..."We're not trying to teach the technology itself," says Yeona Jang, an information systems professor at McGill University's Desautels Faculty of Management. "We're trying to teach non-technical people to understand the capabilities and full potential of technology and how to leverage it in the business context. What are the right questions to ask to understand the risk? How do you leverage the technology in such a way you can harness its value and full potential?"

To this end, Desautels is working on integrating technology into every aspect of its curriculum - and pushing for a new mindset among its graduates that embraces technology management and strategy as a critical component of their job.

Read full article: Financial Post, March 27, 2012