“Tomorrow’s
need will be for purposeful leaders, not merely a manager or a good bean
counter. B Schools need to understand that – they need to partner with industry
and offer their students exposure to real-life environments to ensure they are
equipped for the challenges that lie ahead.” These are the words of Dr. Sanjiv
Marwah, Director, JKBS, a leading business school in North India. A renowned
name in the world of academia with years of solid industry experience, he is
also an active member of Strategic Management
Forum, an IIM consortium supported organization. Dr. Marwah shares his thoughts
on the role of B Schools in creating future leaders and how JKBS leads its
students on to the right career path.
Dr. Marwah believes
that B Schools need to work on helping students develop character and
enthusiasm, in addition to imparting academic knowledge. Moreover, they should
be exposed to different thoughts and viewpoints in order to ensure that they are
aware of leadership ideas. JKBS, backed by a renowned industrial house, is
trying to do just that. “Firstly, we have a strong faculty base where most members
are from IIMs or IITs,” he explains. “Industry-interface is an important
ingredient in the training process that we have tried to maintain since our
inception in 2006.” Besides the regular Marketing, Finance, IT, HR,
International Business (IB), Retail Management specializations, JKBS also
offers short-term courses in interesting fields.
Logistics & Supply Chain Management, Rural Marketing and Corporate
Governance are some of these programs that Dr. Marwah talks about. The efforts
of the institute have paid dividends as it has maintained a 100% placement
record. While that might be a draw for students who want to pursue management
programs, some still struggle with the MBA vs PGDM dilemma. He clears the air
as he says, “Fundamentally, in the corporate
scenario, both PGDM and MBA are equal. They can both lead you towards lucrative
careers, but in the long run it’s your capability and efforts that count. A
PGDM has its advantages because it is designed with management-centric
knowledge of the markets, in keeping with the latest trends to make students
ready for the industry.”
The PGDM
programs from various B Schools can also focus on dynamic teaching pedagogy to
create a holistic learning experience for students. For example, case studies
have become an integral part of management education today and offer students
valuable insights into real world situations. Speaking on the benefits of the
case study approach, Dr. Marwah explains “Case Studies boost a student’s
understanding of management concepts by providing
real-life examples. In this way, students get exposed to actual working of
businesses. Case studies offers a practical way of driving an academic point, reflecting
the reality of managerial decision-making in the corporate world. Case studies
also build the student’s interpersonal and communication skills as they learn
to articulate, argue and defend various perspectives.”
According to Dr. Marwah, while the goal of
creating effective managers is important, it is also vital to help create
entrepreneurs who can be pillars of the society. Honing an entrepreneurial bent
of mind in its students is something JKBS has always focused on. He encourages
those with entrepreneurial dreams to realize them and make a difference by
being job makers rather than job takers. Dr. Marwah encapsulates this idea with
his concluding words: “Startup companies are challenging and rewarding at the
same time. Irrespective of whether you generate wealth or not, startups are an attractive
opportunity to build skills and cultivate networks. Those who want to work for
start-up companies can also go for it with the objective of gaining tremendous
exposure.”