Psychology, Don't Teach Business Without It
Be it personnel motivation, coping with change, customer selling, employee engagement...psychology binds them all. Psychology is the the scientific study of the human mind and its functions, especially those affecting behavior and business is all about people. Employees, customers and managers share the common characteristic of all being people. In order to be successful in business, you better understand what makes people do what they do.
Students taking a business degree get courses of study in accounting, economics, marketing, management, etc to learn the skills of executing business functions with only a sprinkling of education for the human side. There are now Business Psychology degrees that seeks to improve productivity and interpersonal relationships within the workplace but these are subspecialties that are more geared to consultants or Human Resources. Most business degrees do not truly teach dealing with people.
Secondary institutions need to consider including several basic psychology courses as part of their business curriculum to receive a business based degree. Being able to understand the behaviors and motivations of customers and employees will give any one an advantage in business. Developing sales strategies, creating marketing plans or applying for new positions/promotions, using psychological tactics for persuasion means you can make a compelling offering to the world. With education in understanding the human mind, it allows you to get into the minds and personal motivation of others which is significant advantage for any leader.
The bottom line is that there should be more of an integration of psychology and business at the college and university level. Business degrees are already the most sought after degree for employers and have great employment and earning potential, so how can graduates stand out among the competition? The new trend in business is customer experience which requires organizations to understand that customers are now buying experiences over products. In order to deliver an exceptional experience for customers, the business leaders of the future will need to effectively empathize with their customers to build an outstanding experience and help motivate their employees through large organizational changes it will take to deliver a customer experience program.
