Twice in my career, I have tackled the challenge of repositioning a higher education institution. First as Director of Branding and Communications at ESCP Business School. More recently as President of Kühne Logistics University (KLU).

This blog post explores three key pitfalls to avoid when repositioning a business school.

Positioning defines how a brand—such as a business school—is perceived by stakeholders. It also defines how the brand differentiates itself from competitors. ESCP, for instance, is recognized as a multi-campus institution spanning six European cities, offering students cultural intelligence alongside management education.

KLU is a management university with a strong foundation in logistics and supply chain management. Regardless of their specialization, whether in management, leadership, or data science, all KLU students develop an operations mindset, which fosters resilience and responsiveness, data-driven decision-making, and a strong action-oriented approach. Shaped by logistics principles, this mindset is valuable in both logistics and general business leadership.

ESCP’s European Identity: Campuses in Berlin, Madrid, London, Paris, Turin, & Warsaw

ESCP’s European Identity and KLU’s Operations Mindset

At ESCP, my role was to refine its positioning following the merger of two very different institutions. One was a large, Paris-based school with deep French traditions. The other was a smaller institution with multiple European campuses. Years after the merger, stakeholder consensus on ESCP’s identity remained unresolved. Some sought to maintain its French heritage, while others envisioned a truly European institution.

At KLU, the challenge was to expand its positioning beyond its strong but narrow focus on logistics and supply chain management. We had to raise awareness that KLU is a full-fledged management university and business school. This is no small task, given that its name—Kühne Logistics University—implies an exclusive focus on logistics.

In both cases, the intended positioning was clear in theory. ESCP aimed to strengthen its multi-campus European identity, while KLU had long offered broader business programs. The challenge was ensuring that external perceptions aligned with these realities. From these experiences, I identified three essential lessons:

1. Phrase a Clear Position—Don’t Get Stuck in the Middle

Higher education leadership involves uniting diverse stakeholders with often conflicting views. Overcompromising can lead to a diluted, ineffective positioning. Leaders must also embrace constraints and turn them into strengths. At Kühne Logistics University, for instance, a name change was not an option.

Rather than seeing this as a barrier to promoting non-logistics programs, we reframed it as an advantage. We positioned KLU’s strength in integrating logistics principles across all programs via the aforementioned Operations Mindset, creating a unique competitive edge reflected in its name. Effective repositioning demands decisive leadership that navigates constraints while ensuring a compelling and distinct direction.

KLU: Leading with an Operations Mindset

2. Paint a Complete Picture—Don’t Skip Any Strengths

While KLU’s strengths were clear—rooted in logistics leadership and the strong belief that supply chain expertise benefits managers across all industries—I nearly overlooked a key advantage at ESCP. In my focus on positioning ESCP as a European institution, I almost disregarded the fact that its French predecessor was the very inventor of the modern business school concept, founded in 1819 as the world’s first business school.

This experience taught me a crucial lesson: while clarity in positioning is essential, leaders must remain open-minded. A school’s identity draws from multiple strengths, and overlooking any of them can weaken its overall message.

ESCP Business School, The World’s First Business School (est. 1819)

3. Plan a Comprehensive Positioning—Don’t Stop at Comms

A third common pitfall in repositioning a business school is treating it as merely a communications exercise. Some deans and higher education leaders assume they’ve finished the job once they issue a press release. In reality, that step only marks the beginning. Effective positioning touches every aspects of a business school.

Institutions need to embed it into programmes and courses through the assurance of learning framework. They must shape research strategy to reflect the new direction, while still respecting academic freedom. They also need to align internal operations with the positioning to ensure consistency. Many stakeholders don’t fully grasp the implications of a repositioning. That’s why leaders must manage expectations and build transparency from the start.

These were the three key pitfalls to avoid when repositioning business schools, based on my experiences of both ESCP and KLU. A blog post can only scratch the surface, but I hope these insights provide guidance and inspiration for those facing similar challenges. If there’s one thing my experience has taught me, it’s that every (re)positioning brings its own unique hurdles. Adaptability, clarity, and decisive leadership are key to overcoming them.

Further reading: Andreas Kaplan (2021) Higher Education at the Crossroads of Disruption: The University of the 21st Century, Great Debates in Higher Education, Emerald Publishing.

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About the Author: Prof. Dr. Andreas Kaplan, MPA

Professor Andreas Kaplan brings deep theoretical and practical expertise in higher education, with over 15 years in senior leadership roles, including Dean of ESCP Business School Paris (Sorbonne Alliance) and President of Kühne Logistics University. He has taught and conducted research at top institutions such as Harvard, Sciences Po, and Tsinghua.

Recognised as one of the world’s most influential scholars, his seminal works have been published by leading academic presses, including Cambridge, Columbia, and Oxford University Press. Professor Kaplan regularly collaborates with advisory boards and committees of universities and educational startups, contributing his expertise to institutional strategy, innovative pedagogy, and impactful research.

Professor Andreas Kaplan, President Kühne Logistics University

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