Harvard Business School's Greatest Lesson

Does Harvard Business School have a future? Its storied past will get extra attention when the school turns 100 years old on April 8. But in a fast-changing global economy, the world's iconic business school faces new threats of the type that confront all established institutions.

New direct competitors (Beijing University, for example) are gaining appeal. Disruptive competitors, such as corporations that offer faster, better training, are increasing. The market could even see a secular shift in demand if ambitious twentysomethings decide they need a different education for a future right-brain economy based on creativity and imagination.

Since HBS's challenge is faced by many companies, I wanted to find the essence of what has made the place so successful, the core that must remain, no matter what else might have to change. So I asked a varied sample of alumni the same simple question: What's the most valuable thing you learned at Harvard Business School?

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