"But many MBAs are little more than cargo cultists, following along what others who are successful have done without any understanding or curiosity as to the 'w

"But many MBAs are little more than cargo cultists, following along what others who are successful have done without any understanding or curiosity as to the 'why' the thing worked for them and whether it would apply to their own organization." That's pretty much how MBA classes work with their case studies.