Abstract

"Management Education and Domestic Business Landscapes: Insights from Spain, 1950s–1970s"

Núria Puig, Universidad Complutense de Madrid (npuigrap@ucm.es), Maria Fernandez-Moya, CUNEF Universidad (mariafernandezmoya@cunef.edu)

Are the needs for business education globally homogeneous? The existing literature emphasizes the diversity of capitalism, which is better understood as an adaptable economic framework that exhibits significant variation across different historical and geographical contexts. However, the substantial body of research that identifies business schools as active agents within this capitalist system has predominantly been framed by debates concerning their role as vehicles of American capitalism.
This study broadens the analytical lens to examine the interaction between external and domestic influences in the establishment of business schools outside the United States. Its unit of analysis is the convergence of exogenous and indigenous forces that shaped the founding of these institutions in late-developing countries during critical phases of industrialization. To address these questions, the study focuses on the emergence of Spanish business schools during the 1950s and 1960s, reconstructing academic initiatives and the profiles of their early cohorts of students. In particular, we investigate how the varying leadership roles of different actors generated distinct dynamics and contributed to differentiated institutional identities.
We pay special attention to the leading Instituto de Estudios Superiores de la Empresa (IESE), and the development of executive education programs from 1958 to 1974. Using a database of 4,000 alumni, our research shows that between 1958 and 1974 most IESE students were owners or managers of Spanish family firms, revealing a bidirectional relationship between the school and its client firms while highlighting how educational practices were shaped by—and responsive to—the needs and demands of the local business environment. We also delve into IESE's strategy to shape its institutional profile and to influence policy making in a crucial period.
Our primary contribution lies in extending the broader discussion on the international evolution of managerial education. By foregrounding the agency of family firms and mid-20th century Spanish entrepreneurs, this research refines dominant narratives about the global