Teaching Management at the Ecole Nationale d’Administration ‘ENA’ (National Administration School)

How has ENA, a multicultural school which constitutes the top-ranking French civil service, been able to justify the teaching of a subject such as management which is profit-seeking ? Although this teaching was initially controversial, today it has made a name for itself as a fundamental subject, well understood by students. Why is it not possible to transpose the case method, just the way it is, from the business schools ? Can one teach interdepartmental decisions of ministries in classrooms ? Is the culture of secrecy in the high-ranking civil service not a barrier to the constitution of innovative educational material ? Is the teaching of management at ENA not too French ? Axel Urgin, a high-ranking civil servant and former manager in the private sector and an experienced teacher, analyses the methods and principles of teaching management to students at ENA. He argues in favour of the transmission of management techniques, and, importantly, for values to be brought into public service.