Another vote for 'we sources', David!

Harold, I have in the past been vocal in my criticism of business schools and still am. The days of their being arbiters of knowledge are long gone. They obviously cannot keep up with the stream of up-to-the-minute collective intelligence and quality analysis available via RSS and Twitter.

On reflection, I am not being entirely fair. Colleagues and I were instrumental in seeding action learning Master's programmes in a UK business school. Despite some initial resistance the work-based, action learning programmes are now well established.

Although knowledge content (tools, frameworks and approaches) is important, that is not what makes this hugely practical, action learning programme effective. It is the doing, talking, reflecting, experimenting, failing, succeeding, grappling, learning together and deep cameraderie that develops among the executives that makes it effective.

These senior people then take their experience back into the workplaces, influencing how things are done in their organisations.

At least one business school is thankfully beginning to get it right. For the reasons you have outlined, I think it is probably in a minority.