Biography
"When students complete the Atkinson program, the most valuable asset they take with them is a way of thinking.”
Message
Managers must be able to identify critical assumptions and issues, and correctly reach conclusions from them. While the conclusions may be of interest, understanding the way in which they’re reached is probably of longer-run significance. Stated another way, the important question at hand is “why”?
When students complete the Atkinson program, the most valuable asset they take with them is a way of thinking. Part from a logical approach to decision making, this way of thinking embraces a clear knowledge of analytical tools, the assumptions underlying those tools, and their strengths and weaknesses. The way of thinking is the framework within which the decision maker applies the tools.
No group of faculty or students has ever met to determine a way of thinking at the Atkinson School; they never will. But one is developed over the two years. This way of thinking is both valuable and unique.