2024 Best 40-Under-40 MBA Professors: Inge De Clippeleer, EDHEC Business School

 

Inge De Clippeleer
EDHEC Business School

“Inge was one of the most outstanding professors on my Global MBA programme at EDHEC. She has an energy and enthusiasm which is infectious and really goes above and beyond to help you understand your strengths, build your confidence and provide meaningful insights and direction to help you better understand yourself and to become a better leader and team player. Inge also developed Lead360 and Transform360 for the MBA programmes which are unique programmes placing personal and professional leadership development at the heart of the curriculum with a focus on 360 feedback and developing the key components needed for agile, principled leadership.” – Julie McCloskey

Inge De Clippeleer, 38, is Professor of Organizational Behavior and Leadership at EDHEC Business School in France. She is also Head of Faculty of Management and Humanities.

Her teaching portfolio spans strategic leadership, group dynamics, team management, leadership development, andself-management across EDHEC’s MSc, Global MBA, and Executive MBA programs. She has extensive experience as an executive coach for individuals and management teams.

Her research focuses on leadership development as well as on individual and team crafting.
She developed and spearheads the “Lead360” personal and career development program within the Global MBA and the “Transform360” leadership development program within the Executive MBAs. These were specifically designed to prepare executives for the next steps in their post-MBA journey and future leadership career.

She has won multiple EDHEC awards for outstanding teaching.

BACKGROUND

At current institution since what year? 2017

Education:

• Master in Educational Sciences, Ghent University, Belgium
• PhD in Applied Economics, Ghent University, Belgium

List of MBA courses you currently teach:

• 360 Leadership Development
• Building Effective Teams
• Career Self-Management
• Creating Strong Relationships

TELL US ABOUT LIFE AS A BUSINESS SCHOOL PROFESSOR

I knew I wanted to be a business school professor when… It seems the profession chose me instead of the other way around… I entered academia due to an interesting research project I wanted to contribute to, never assuming it would become a career. Unexpectedly, I ended up teaching a master’s course a couple of months later. After two days in the classroom, I was hooked! Ever since, I’ve been passionate about teaching and coaching business school students.

What are you currently researching and what is the most significant discovery you’ve made from it? After multiple years of coaching executives in the domain of career development, I was well-acquainted with the concept and application of job crafting – how individuals proactively shape their work to better align with their strengths and passions. I became fascinated by emerging work on team crafting – how teams collectively adapt their roles and responsibilities. Aiming to advance research and practice, we conducted a large-scale intervention study, and found that a team proactive motivation intervention is associated with changes in three dimensions of team crafting and subsequent increases in team performance.

If I weren’t a business school professor… I would probably work as an executive coach for individuals and management teams, would do more voluntary work, combined with my current role as soccer mom 😉

What do you think makes you stand out as a professor? Students tend to commend me for my passion and energy, and appreciate that I take time outside of the classroom to coach and guide them individually. It may be naive and idealistic, but I hope to make a real difference in the (professional) life of some of them.

One word that describes my first time teaching: Exciting!

Here’s what I wish someone would’ve told me about being a business school professor: How rewarding it is to have the privilege to work with such a motivated, hard-working, inquisitive, (culturally) diverse group of students!

Professor I most admire and why: Wharton’s top-rated professor Adam Grant – undeniably one of the greatest thinkers in our field. When one talks about rigor and relevance in academic research, he’s definitely one of the scholars that comes to mind. Besides his many seminal papers and several influential books, he’s much invested in disseminating his knowledge by use of columns, podcasts, and newsletters, reaching not just academics, but a broad community of business leaders and professionals.

TEACHING MBA STUDENTS

What do you enjoy most about teaching business students? I enjoy teaching for basically any group, but the fact that MBA students bring a ton of experience to the classroom leads to the most inspiring and enriching questions and discussions.

Furthermore, considering their strong grounding in business practice, they often experiment and implement their learnings straight away, which makes us a privileged witness of their growth and transition from the start to the end of the MBA program.

What is most challenging? Teaching and coaching MBAs on topics in leadership, communication, and career development inherently implies touching on more personal and sometimes delicate experiences. It’s my role to create a safe environment in which executives dare to open up and be vulnerable – to me, but also to their peers. When you succeed in the latter, it makes all the difference in enhancing the group’s potential for collective and individual learning.

In one word, describe your favorite type of student: Curious

In one word, describe your least favorite type of student: Absentees

When it comes to grading, I think students would describe me as… Fair, and transparent regarding grading criteria. And apparently, ChatGPT isn’t able to provide much help with the assignments I’m giving 🙂

LIFE OUTSIDE OF THE CLASSROOM

What are your hobbies? I love spending time with my husband and kids: playing board games together, making trips, watching the kids play soccer or practice gymnastics. When they are happy, my heart is full. Any other free time is mostly spent on dinner dates with close friends and on gardening. I’m a real flower and bee enthusiast. With a mixture of annuals, perennials and flowering trees and shrubs our garden has become a true feast for bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects.

How will you spend your summer? Happy to refer to my answer above! I’ll enjoy much time with my husband and children, and savor living at a somewhat lower pace compared to the other seasons of the year. Add many sunny days in our garden, a few days at the Belgian seaside, some barbecues with friends, and a couple of books to read, and I’ll have ticked off most items on my wish list.

Favorite place(s) to vacation: Although we do travel as a family, I have to admit my favorite place to vacation is currently our home and garden. I can really soak in the coziness of our house in Winter or the abundant colorful flowers in our garden in Summer.

Favorite book(s): Without a doubt, my favorite is the children’s book “Guess How Much I Love You”. I’ve read it hundreds of times to my children when they were little, and to this day, some variations of the verses in the book are part of our evening routine and goodbyes.

What is currently your favorite movie and/or show and what is it about the film or program that you enjoy so much? I am a big fan of Disney & Pixar movies, especially those of the two most recent decades. I (re)discovered them with my children and love how they not only tell a story, but also share important values and lessons for life. Helping children label their emotions and understanding how all of them are valuable (in Inside Out), daring to stand up for yourself and others (in Mulan and Wish), being proud of your talents and your uniqueness (in Encanto), valuing everyone regardless of their background (in Ratatouille), …

What is your favorite type of music or artist(s) and why? I’m afraid our three kids have taken over our Spotify account 🙂 When having the opportunity, I love listening to film music composed by the world’s greatest composers. I’m always mesmerized by how they succeed in instrumentally capturing a variety of emotions and experiences. I’ve also become a fan of P!nk, for the great music, the inspiring lyrics, and for her activism and philanthropy.

THOUGHTS AND REFLECTIONS

If I had my way, the business school of the future would have much more of this… I’m a true believer of EDHEC’s tagline “Make an Impact”. Instead of preparing students and executives to function at their best in our current world, it should be our aspiration – and even more so our responsibility – to equip them to change the world, to challenge the status quo, to transform it for the better. It’s a strong core value of EDHEC, which makes me proud to be able to contribute to this ambition daily.

In my opinion, companies and organizations today need to do a better job at… Focusing less on maximizing profit and more on wellbeing. The wellbeing of our planet, the wellbeing of their employees, the wellbeing of their clients and other stakeholders. I’d love a more long-term, sustainable vision for all stakeholders involved, instead of a mere focus on short-term financial gain.

I’m grateful for… Two times three: for my three wonderful children, and for the three people that had a profound impact on my teaching and career development. My first boss for fully believing in me and dropping me in front of an MBA audience at the age of 25, my first office colleague (now friend) whose enthusiasm, drive, and teaching style is still an inspiration until today, and my husband who is a Corporate Finance professor and wins the best teacher’s award at his business school yearly.

 

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