Redefining technology management education: The new managerial imperatives

This paper focuses on the need to redesign technology management education in order to prepare students for a new set of managerial challenges. Specifically, the paper deals with an analysis of individual and final projects completed in the Capstone courses by technology management students at an urban-based university. The course, which is the culmination of a fifteen month Executive Masters program in the management of technology requires students technology, to participate in team-based projects on industry sectors as well as individual or small group projects on firms or issues of interest to technology management. An analysis of the projects revealed that along with enduring managerial imperatives such as having strong leadership, and creating a culture and organizational structure conducive to innovation, new managerial imperatives across all industries emerged including the need to develop a greening strategy; plan for a globalized organization; recalibrate business models; design a robust technology strategy aligned with product and service offerings; incorporate Web 2.0 technologies and concepts in the workplace; be customer centric; promote a culture of collaboration; and recognize the value of a networked business environment. In light of this analysis, redesigning technology management education is essential in order to reflect new trends and managerial imperatives.