Asking AI to suggest an MBA research theme and a dissertation proposal: on executive mentoring

Asking AI to suggest an MBA research theme and a dissertation proposal: on executive mentoring (information from perplexity.ai)

My question 1a: "Highlight 6 main ideas on executive mentoring and 2 main ideas on reverse mentoring"

The reply: "Executive mentoring emphasizes structured relationships that transfer strategic knowledge to high-level leaders, while reverse mentoring flips this dynamic for fresh insights. These approaches build competence through real-world application, particularly relevant to the proposed MBA theme on Hong Kong's financial sector.

Executive Mentoring Main Ideas

• Knowledge Transfer via Role Modeling: Mentors share decision-making processes and strategic thinking, enabling executives to handle complex scenarios beyond theoretical training.
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• Succession Pipeline Building: Mentoring accelerates promotions by bridging experiential gaps, with participants 4x more likely to advance than non-mentored peers.
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• Reciprocity and Trust (Social Exchange Theory): Relationships thrive on mutual benefits, fostering loyalty and long-term psychosocial support like confidence-building.
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• Strategic Pairing and Objectives: Success hinges on matching based on skills, career paths, or cross-functions, aligned with clear, measurable goals using frameworks like Kirkpatrick.
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• Action-Oriented Development: Converts workplace challenges into learning via Socratic questioning, sponsorship, and 360-degree feedback for behavioral change.
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• Multi-Modal Formats: Includes one-to-one dyads for depth, group mentoring for scalability, and mosaic networks drawing from diverse mentors.

Reverse Mentoring Main Ideas

• Bridging Generational and Tech Gaps: Juniors mentor seniors on digital tools, fintech, and modern perspectives, countering top-down knowledge stagnation.
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• Diversity and Empathy Gains: Cross-demographic pairings (e.g., ERGs to executives) spark honest dialogue on inclusion challenges, enhancing organizational empathy."

My question 1b: "Please suggest an MBA research theme, via the pragmatism lens, based on the following key words: insider mentoring (including reverse mentoring) to senior managers in the Hong Kong financial sector, executive development, managerial competence to address wicked problems."

The reply: "A pragmatism-based MBA research theme should prioritize practical, action-oriented inquiry that tests mentoring interventions in real-world financial contexts to enhance senior managers' problem-solving efficacy. This approach aligns with pragmatism's focus on what "works" through experiential learning and iterative feedback, rather than abstract theory alone.

Proposed Theme

"Pragmatic Impacts of Insider and Reverse Mentoring on Enhancing Senior Managers' Competence in Tackling Wicked Problems within Hong Kong's Financial Sector"

This theme examines how bidirectional mentoring—insider guidance from experienced peers alongside reverse mentoring from junior staff—equips senior executives with adaptive skills for "wicked" challenges like regulatory volatility, fintech disruptions, and geopolitical risks in Hong Kong banking.

Pragmatism Lens Application

Pragmatism views knowledge as derived from practical consequences and contextual experimentation, making it ideal for evaluating mentoring as a flexible tool for executive development. Research could deploy mixed methods: action research cycles where mentoring pairs co-design interventions, followed by competence assessments via simulations of wicked problems (e.g., ESG compliance amid US-China tensions). Outcomes would prioritize measurable improvements in managerial agility, such as faster decision-making under uncertainty, over rigid competency models.

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Key Research Focus Areas

• Mentoring Dynamics: Insider mentoring provides sector-specific tacit knowledge (e.g., HKMA regulations), while reverse mentoring injects digital fluency and generational insights, fostering mutual exchange in high power-distance cultures like Hong Kong.
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• Wicked Problems Context: Target issues like talent retention amid brain drain, AI ethics in trading, or climate risk modeling—problems lacking clear solutions and requiring iterative competence-building.
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• Executive Development Metrics: Use pragmatist evaluation via pre/post-intervention metrics: problem-solving efficacy (via case vignettes), innovation outputs (new strategies piloted), and retention/engagement surveys.
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Suggested Methodology

Adopt a pragmatic mixed-methods design with:

1. Qualitative phase: Semi-structured interviews and mentoring session observations in 3-5 HK financial firms (e.g., HSBC, Standard Chartered).

2. Quantitative phase: Quasi-experimental pre/post surveys on competence scales, analyzing variance via regression.

3. Action cycles: Participants refine mentoring protocols based on interim findings, embodying pragmatism's iterative ethos.

This theme offers actionable insights for HK firms, potentially scalable to Singapore's fintech hub, while contributing to MBA literature on adaptive leadership."

My question 2: "Based on the proposed research theme , please offer a part-time MBA dissertation proposal with the following information: 

1. Dissertation report title 2. 3 research issues (including research gaps) and 3 Hong Kong public media reported issues 3. 4 research objectives and 3 research questions 4. 2 primary research methods and 1 secondary research method 5. 2 executive mentoring theories, 1 managerial competence theory, and 1 executive development theory (with a reference list in Harvard reference format)

6. A brief justification of the dissertation proposal in terms of academic, practical and originality value."."

The reply: "

1. Dissertation Report Title
   Pragmatic Impacts of Insider and Reverse Mentoring on Enhancing Senior Managers' Competence in Tackling Wicked Problems in Hong Kong's Financial Sector

Research Issues and HK Media-Reported Challenges

Three key research issues highlight gaps in current literature:

• Limited empirical studies on insider mentoring's role in transferring tacit knowledge specific to Hong Kong's high power-distance financial culture, where hierarchical barriers impede open exchange.
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• Scant exploration of reverse mentoring's efficacy for senior managers facing intergenerational knowledge gaps in fintech adoption, despite its growing advocacy.
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• Absence of pragmatist frameworks evaluating mentoring's practical outcomes on managerial competence for wicked problems, favoring theoretical over actionable models.
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Three Hong Kong public media-reported issues (2025-2026):

• Persistent commercial real estate (CRE) stress and rising impaired loans (e.g., Bank of East Asia's portfolio at 7.5%), straining senior decision-making amid US tariffs and rate cuts.

• Operational resilience pressures from cyber threats and third-party dependencies, as HKMA pushes banks toward 2026 full compliance targets.
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• Weaker profitability outlook from narrow HK-mainland interest rate spreads and geopolitical uncertainties, challenging executive agility in wealth management growth areas.

Research Objectives and Questions

Objectives:

1. Assess how insider and reverse mentoring builds senior managers' adaptive competence for wicked problems like CRE volatility.

2. Evaluate pragmatist interventions' practical impacts on executive development metrics in HK financial firms.

3. Identify barriers and enablers of bidirectional mentoring in high-context cultures.

4. Recommend scalable mentoring protocols for HK banks to enhance problem-solving agility.

Questions:

1. How does insider mentoring transfer sector-specific knowledge to address wicked problems in HK finance?

2. What competence gains emerge from reverse mentoring for seniors amid fintech and resilience challenges?

3. To what extent do pragmatist mixed methods validate mentoring's role in executive development outcomes?

Research Methods

Primary Methods:

1. Action research: Iterative mentoring cycles with 20-30 senior-junior pairs in 3-5 HK banks (e.g., HSBC, BEA), involving co-designed sessions and real-time feedback on simulated wicked scenarios like CRE stress.
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2. Semi-structured interviews and competence simulations: Pre/post assessments of 40 senior managers using vignettes of media-reported issues (e.g., operational disruptions).
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Secondary Method:

Thematic analysis of HKMA reports, bank annuals (e.g., 2024-2025), and media archives on financial challenges for contextual triangulation.

Theoretical Foundations

Executive Mentoring Theories:

1. Social Exchange Theory (SET): Views mentoring as reciprocal exchanges building trust and competence, ideal for insider/reverse dynamics [Blau, P.M., 1964. Exchange and power in social life. New York: Wiley].

2. Reverse Mentoring Model: Emphasizes junior-to-senior knowledge flow for digital and cultural agility [Chao, G.T., 2016. Reverse mentoring sparks fresh ideas. HR Magazine, 61(4), pp.1-2].

Managerial Competence Theory:

1. Wicked Problems Framework: Defines competence as iterative, adaptive sense-making for ill-structured issues like financial resilience [Rittel, H.W.J. and Webber, M.M., 1973. Dilemmas in a general theory of planning. Policy Sciences, 4(2), pp.155-169].

Executive Development Theory:

1. Experiential Learning Theory (Kolb): Pragmatist cycle of concrete experience, reflection, conceptualization, and experimentation suits mentoring for competence growth [Kolb, D.A., 1984. Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall].

Proposal Justification

Academic Value: Bridges pragmatism with mentoring literature via mixed methods, filling gaps in context-specific executive development for Asian finance.

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Practical Value: Delivers actionable protocols for HK banks tackling CRE stress and resilience mandates, aiding senior competence amid 2026 outlooks.

Originality Value: Pioneers insider-reverse mentoring evaluation through pragmatist action research on wicked problems, offering novel insights beyond Western models for high power-distance sectors."

A collection of blog notes on using chatgpt for research purpose.