The lengthy process of education is often compared to a ladder that it certainly resembles in some respects. While you might successfully complete the time-consuming school and college course and earn some degrees, diplomas and certificates, the professional ladder has not been climbed yet. In the India of the 21st century that is rapidly developing in several spheres like industry in spite of numbing problems, management education and the training of seasoned business managers is a great challenge. Management institutions in the country may have reached 3000 or more, but the quality of the infrastructure does not guarantee good jobs or high salaries with the potential for promotions.
Ample research helps us to understand the shortcomings of Indian management education and suggest remedies, but they would fall upon deaf ears. Should we compare with the standards of American institutions? Are there enough teachers? Is the curriculum up to date and fulfilling industry requirements? Do the colleges introduce students to the industry interface where they will spend the rest of their lives in competitive management designations?
Global Institute of Business Studies
GIBD with a pristine location in Bangalore in a 4.5-acre green campus does its duty towards management students. As compared to the dozens of management institutions in Bangalore City and Karnataka State, the quality of education at GIBS is certainly among the best. Some of the reasons that GIBS has succeeded are the concentration on a single subject, teaching practical lessons and providing an industry interface, adequate research-based qualified teaching faculty and powerful industry connections for internships and placements.
Exceptional managers are crucial to development
While industry and commerce may have existed for centuries, we realize only now how crucial managers have become today in progress. While plenty of raw materials, money and manpower may be available like in some wealthy countries, they make no sense without a management system. Machines do not manage money, materials and manpower, but humans do, though it sometimes looks as if machines are getting more important.
Now that hundreds of multinational corporations or MNCs have set foot in India, the result is a rising of standards and greater competition. The Foreign Direct Investment and Make in India policies also encourage foreign companies to set up shop in India. Foreign universities have been maintaining branches on Indian soil and awarding degrees based on performances in two campuses in India and abroad.
If you can feel the situation and the temperature of the present day India, we seem to have suddenly launched hundreds of years into the future compared to the closing decades of the last century. Though foreign companies have been around for several generations, what is happening now is a technological revolution that has brought the world to India’s doorstep.
If Indian managers cannot cope up with the new demands of industry, development would suffer. The malaise and inertia, the theoretical syllabi and the ignorance of real working conditions, the lack of enough teachers and educational infrastructure are some problems that plague most management institutions in India.
Many Indians have reached leadership positions internationally!
SatyaNadella, PremWatsa and IndraNooyi are some of the talented galaxy of Indian origin leaders of industry who have risen to top positions. In a country like America with a large Indian community, a long list of achievements and honors bring credit to our country. Is it not a greater achievement for Indians to remain in the country and contribute towards national development? We cannot remain isolated though, but have to learn lessons in the multicultural context.
Foreign workers from many countries have congregated in the Bangalore companies and working alongside them calls for particular skills. Soft skills are necessary to bring greater understanding and effectiveness to leadership roles. No longer does a manager simply bark orders in an autocratic manner. Industry knowledge through interaction with some renowned experts would be crucial. Whether it is agriculture or IT, ecommerce, healthcare or hospitality, they are basically businesses that run on the three wheels of money, manpower and raw materials. Specializations help students focus on what their priorities are and probably they would settle down to challenging careers to bring credit to themselves, their families, institutes and the country!
Are we thinking of a lifetime of management service? It is difficult to say, but we live in a world of specialization. In the senior management field too, it is a common phenomenon that technical knowledge is preferred along with management expertise.
GIBS offers graduate, postgraduate and diploma courses in management. BBA, BCOM, MBA and PGDM are the courses that range from a year for PGDM to two years for MBA and three years for BBA and BCOM. In India, the great majority of management graduates have no prior working experience. That is a great drawback because they cannot understand the real working conditions. Without working experience for a few years, their skills and abilities have not developed to mature levels either.
Not only should Indian management graduates get prior work experience, but also be technically qualified in particular fields like the branches of engineering or architecture. They would then stand far greater chances of management success.
