Montessori for entrepreneurs

Hmmm. Interesting. The international head of Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) is considering developing "a fully-fledged Montessori course for business Montessori." I'd rephrase that to simply: Montessori for entrepreneurs.

Lynn Lawrence, based in Amsterdam, thinks they may have too much on the boil already, but discussions around the idea have already led "to some interesting background reading and some insights into the way Montessori principles have already found their way into the business world." For example:

• Ambiga Dhiraj, the head of talent management at Mu Sigma, a decision science and analytics service firm, wrote for the Harvard Business Review on their business modelling its employee development on Montessori schools.  ... He suggested that “an emphasis on independence, freedom within limits, and respect for a child’s natural psychological development” were basic tenets from the Montessori classroom equally applicable to the workforce. ... The ultimate payoff for the business was that it translated into better service for clients and “keeping the right people for the right reasons”. The latter is a particular advantage in a world where the best talent can be hard to find and even harder to keep.
• Justin Wasserman, a Managing Director with Kotter International, (the strategy execution firm founded by world renowned Harvard Business School professor, Dr. John Kotter) considered the “corporate kindergarten” and “how a Montessori mindset can transform your business”.  He reflected on the uniqueness of Montessori classrooms, the benefits of mixed-ages, self-directed learning, children gravitating to what interests them and teachers as “coaches and facilitators rather than puppet-masters or dictators.” ... Wasserman noted that most in corporate America grew up “confined by the rigid structures of our conventional education system” and tend to wait for directives on high to determine their actions.  He contrasts that with Montessori children full of new ideas, confident that failure is acceptable and that mistakes are best seen as learning opportunities.  He argues that businesses need to create a “corporate kindergarten culture where Montessori mindsets are cultivated and rewarded.”

In his comments about the “conventional education system,” Lawrence notes that this makes "very much the same case as Angeline Lillard in her marvellous and fiercely argued piece “Why the time is right for an education revolution.” She concludes: 

Bringing the principles of Montessori education into the workplace is one way of building a new and more productive approach to business but it seems to me that it would be so much better for society if the work began in school.  The thought of a continuum where Montessori is embedded in every part of an individual’s education from pre-school, throughout their career and into the support they receive as elders is an attractive proposition. ...

Commentators as diverse as Joe Rogan and Ezra Klein question the ability of existing mainstream education to satisfy the needs of a modern, knowledge economy.  The gap is seen in research from the UK suggesting that hiring managers rank problem-solving (63%), communications (63%) and creativity (53%) as three highly sought after skills.  In the US similar research suggests employers are looking for practical problem solving, team working, and global mindset but that new graduates do not feel they have received these skills in their education. ...

Montessori education can undoubtedly provide the grounding that will help people excel in their careers and make significant contributions to business success.  This was an underlying theme of the BBC article, “Montessori. The world’s most influential school?” and has been amplified by FasterCapital, a global venture builder and online incubator for innovative start-ups.  It is also central to Andrew McAfee’s book The Geek Way: The Radical Mindset that Drives Extraordinary Resultswhich he discusses in the Harvard Business Review. ...

There are powerful lessons for leaders in the way that Montessori principles can develop teams that are both happy and high performing.  Generational changes have increasingly meant that command and control structures considered the height of good management in past decades are being soundly rejected by younger people.  Self-managing and self-motivated groups that embrace diversity, aspiration and novelty are part of a Montessori culture.

Our advocacy is always for education and leadership that enables every human to create themselves and become fulfilled, which does not necessarily mean they will choose to work in an organisation or pursue a career.  However, we also believe that workplaces which introduce Montessori ideals that nurture and cherish the potential of each and every individual will excel.