Don advocates multidisciplinary management education
Scholars, policymakers, industry leaders and development practitioners have been urged to embrace multidisciplinary collaboration as a critical strategy in addressing complex global and societal challenges in the 21st century.
The call was made by Mondy S. Gold while delivering the keynote address at the maiden virtual international conference organised by the Department of Management, Faculty of Management Sciences, University of Port Harcourt, in collaboration with the African Policy and Research Consortium.
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Nathan Tamarapreye
Scholars, policymakers, industry leaders and development practitioners have been urged to embrace multidisciplinary collaboration as a critical strategy in addressing complex global and societal challenges in the 21st century.
The call was made by Mondy S. Gold while delivering the keynote address at the maiden virtual international conference organised by the Department of Management, Faculty of Management Sciences, University of Port Harcourt, in collaboration with the African Policy and Research Consortium.
Speaking on the theme, “Advancing Management Sciences in Multidisciplinary Settings: From Theory to Transformational Practice,” Gold said the world is increasingly confronted with interconnected challenges such as climate change, artificial intelligence, healthcare crises, economic instability and geopolitical tensions that can no longer be addressed through isolated expertise.
According to him, management sciences must evolve beyond traditional administrative functions to become an integrative force that harmonises knowledge from diverse disciplines into practical solutions for societal transformation.
“Humanity’s most pressing challenges can no longer be solved through fragmented thinking. They require intellectual convergence, collaborative structures and multidisciplinary engagement,” he said.
Gold traced the evolution of management thought from the classical industrial-efficiency era through the human-relations and systems-thinking periods to the contemporary digital-intelligence age, noting that modern leadership now requires adaptability, technological fluency, and interdisciplinary competence.
He stressed that effective management today demands leaders capable of integrating insights from economics, behavioural science, engineering, public policy, artificial intelligence and organisational psychology to navigate rapidly changing global realities.
Citing findings from the World Economic Forum and other global institutions, Gold noted that multidisciplinary collaboration has become essential for innovation, organisational resilience and long-term competitiveness.
He pointed to successes in healthcare, technology, urban development and scientific research as evidence that collaborative approaches consistently outperform isolated operational models.
The keynote speaker, however, warned that multidisciplinary engagement could fail without effective leadership capable of translating diverse expertise into strategic cohesion.
“Advancing management sciences requires leaders who can serve as translators of expertise, architects of collaboration and integrators of knowledge systems,” he stated.
Addressing Nigeria’s development challenges, particularly in the Niger Delta, Gold called on universities, research institutes, policymakers and private sector stakeholders to strengthen collaboration in tackling environmental degradation, youth unemployment, governance deficits and economic instability.
He observed that although Nigeria has more than 66 federally supported research institutes, greater intellectual integration and institutional cooperation are needed to maximise their impact.
Gold also urged universities to move beyond rigid disciplinary structures and produce graduates equipped with multidisciplinary skills, adaptability and innovative thinking required for emerging professions and evolving technologies.
He further stressed that management sciences must become more evidence-driven, technologically integrated, ethically grounded and globally responsive.
“The future belongs not merely to those who know more, but to those who can connect more and integrate theory with practice,” he added.
The conference, hosted by the Department of Management, Faculty of Management Sciences, University of Port Harcourt, brought together academics and professionals from different parts of the world to explore ways of strengthening management sciences through cross-disciplinary collaboration and practical innovation.
Gold concluded by describing multidisciplinary engagement as essential for institutional resilience, sustainable development and transformational leadership in an increasingly complex world.
