Dear Folks,
Am sharing this article by Lalit from IIM - Kozhikode which was published in news magazine for your reference.
Cheerio
Rajat
The existing MBA curriculum tends to compartmentalize learning into distinct divisions like marketing, finance, HR, operations or strategy, which is antagonistic to real life business situations. Real life business problems don’t appear in such distinct categories but appear as interplay of various disciplines having implications cutting across these functions. Moreover, the current system of bifurcation of management courses into trimester/semester give the students a piecemeal picture of the whole management practices and they fail to see the linkages among various courses taught. Thus it never crosses in an average student’s mind that pricing methodology learnt in marketing management can be linked to microeconomics to determine appropriate mark-up price or productivity improvement measures learnt in operations management can be linked to organization structure learnt in organization behavior or business strategy learnt in strategic management. The ‘big picture’ or the macro view gets lost somewhere in the mélange of so many functional silos and student fails to develop a holistic view.
This shortcoming can be taken care of by having one year MBA structured as intermix of basic courses in finance, marketing, systems, operations, HR & OB.
The whole course should be structured as one continuous year of learning rather than broken into semester/trimester, which is a piecemeal approach and takes away the continuity in learning. The cases discussed should involve synthesis of ideas and concepts from all the above mentioned disciplines which can give students a feel for integrative thinking.
I reiterate MBA should be only one year course as this makes the learning more effective (fast paced environment spurs on students to perform) and also is a better value proposition for people who have left jobs to pursue academics. The students admitted must be high achievers (to be able to cope up with the work load) having minimum 3 yrs of work experience (the rationale being one doesn’t get to do anything concrete in first 1 or 2 yrs in an organization) so as to be able to relate the theoretical perspectives with experiential learning.
MBA is an ‘action’ course rather than a passive one. You can’t teach a person to swim by imparting him wisdom in the classroom. But if the person has gotten himself wet a few times in the swimming pool and splayed his legs and hands, he will be able to relate and understand the swimming methods taught. Similarly a person with no work experience can’t appreciate the theoretical underpinnings of the practical business situations, simply because he hasn’t ‘tasted the water’.
The objective of MBA should be to impart intellectual versatility and rigor in thinking to the students rather than making a person specialist in one area (which he can always pick up later on in his career, depending on his interests and realistic judgment of his capability). The specialization system should be done away with, as leaders need to be ‘generalists’ with understanding of all aspects of business. Also it is difficult to pack specialization, which anyway doesn’t make much sense, in one year course.
Moreover, the curriculum should be peppered with readings in sociology, philosophy, economics and other humanities to provide depth in understanding and ability to think through a situation from different perspectives. Adequate stress must be laid on the personal development of the individual and to hone his soft skills like communication, leadership and negotiation skills by role plays, presentations, etc. The course should stress on moving from analysis to action; MBA, in fact, should become a byword for Managing Business Actions.
Such curriculum demands intellectual vigor and continuous peak effort on the part of the students to undergo this kind of fast paced learning. The moot question is - are Indian students ready to take the plunge? The answer seems to be yes as is proven by the success of ISB.
Lalit kumarPGP(2002-2004)
IIM Kozhikode
From India, Pune
101Am sharing this article by Lalit from IIM - Kozhikode which was published in news magazine for your reference.
Cheerio
Rajat
The existing MBA curriculum tends to compartmentalize learning into distinct divisions like marketing, finance, HR, operations or strategy, which is antagonistic to real life business situations. Real life business problems don’t appear in such distinct categories but appear as interplay of various disciplines having implications cutting across these functions. Moreover, the current system of bifurcation of management courses into trimester/semester give the students a piecemeal picture of the whole management practices and they fail to see the linkages among various courses taught. Thus it never crosses in an average student’s mind that pricing methodology learnt in marketing management can be linked to microeconomics to determine appropriate mark-up price or productivity improvement measures learnt in operations management can be linked to organization structure learnt in organization behavior or business strategy learnt in strategic management. The ‘big picture’ or the macro view gets lost somewhere in the mélange of so many functional silos and student fails to develop a holistic view.
This shortcoming can be taken care of by having one year MBA structured as intermix of basic courses in finance, marketing, systems, operations, HR & OB.
The whole course should be structured as one continuous year of learning rather than broken into semester/trimester, which is a piecemeal approach and takes away the continuity in learning. The cases discussed should involve synthesis of ideas and concepts from all the above mentioned disciplines which can give students a feel for integrative thinking.
I reiterate MBA should be only one year course as this makes the learning more effective (fast paced environment spurs on students to perform) and also is a better value proposition for people who have left jobs to pursue academics. The students admitted must be high achievers (to be able to cope up with the work load) having minimum 3 yrs of work experience (the rationale being one doesn’t get to do anything concrete in first 1 or 2 yrs in an organization) so as to be able to relate the theoretical perspectives with experiential learning.
MBA is an ‘action’ course rather than a passive one. You can’t teach a person to swim by imparting him wisdom in the classroom. But if the person has gotten himself wet a few times in the swimming pool and splayed his legs and hands, he will be able to relate and understand the swimming methods taught. Similarly a person with no work experience can’t appreciate the theoretical underpinnings of the practical business situations, simply because he hasn’t ‘tasted the water’.
The objective of MBA should be to impart intellectual versatility and rigor in thinking to the students rather than making a person specialist in one area (which he can always pick up later on in his career, depending on his interests and realistic judgment of his capability). The specialization system should be done away with, as leaders need to be ‘generalists’ with understanding of all aspects of business. Also it is difficult to pack specialization, which anyway doesn’t make much sense, in one year course.
Moreover, the curriculum should be peppered with readings in sociology, philosophy, economics and other humanities to provide depth in understanding and ability to think through a situation from different perspectives. Adequate stress must be laid on the personal development of the individual and to hone his soft skills like communication, leadership and negotiation skills by role plays, presentations, etc. The course should stress on moving from analysis to action; MBA, in fact, should become a byword for Managing Business Actions.
Such curriculum demands intellectual vigor and continuous peak effort on the part of the students to undergo this kind of fast paced learning. The moot question is - are Indian students ready to take the plunge? The answer seems to be yes as is proven by the success of ISB.
Lalit kumarPGP(2002-2004)
IIM Kozhikode
From India, Pune
This is excellent - a school for leaders, not just businesspeople. It would be interesting for some firm - or a syndicate of firms - to sponsor the students, allowing them access to thought leaders in various countries. This would add to the value of the year and enhance the network of each participant.
You ought to get a backer to fund the creation of just such a global school.
Mike
You ought to get a backer to fund the creation of just such a global school.
Mike
The problem is not how we educate our managers the problem is how we hire our managers.
Too many hiring managers believe that an MBA means the holder will be a successful manager especially if the MBA is from a top business school.
Employers would be wiser to hire the right people to be their managers then educate them as needed.
From United States, Chelsea
Too many hiring managers believe that an MBA means the holder will be a successful manager especially if the MBA is from a top business school.
Employers would be wiser to hire the right people to be their managers then educate them as needed.
From United States, Chelsea
The only caveat here is that corporations do a spotty job of training their people. A two day seminar, rushed and fairly tame is not enough time or content to serve as more than a kind of lip service to real development. When companies begin to quantify the value of top notch, extensive training then they'll get value out of the investment.
Then again, if training is done by inhouse employees the real give and take of a seminar might be diluted. The fear of retribution is somehow always there, and it detracts from learning and growing.
Then again, if training is done by inhouse employees the real give and take of a seminar might be diluted. The fear of retribution is somehow always there, and it detracts from learning and growing.
To read a longer version of my thoughts stop by my articles web page and read article 21 "Teaching business managers the wrong way" comments on Robert Weis' May 16, 2004, Boston Globe article about Professor Mintzberg's criticism of how managers are educated.
<link no longer exists - removed>
From United States, Chelsea
<link no longer exists - removed>
From United States, Chelsea
Hi Lalit
I came across ur article on Rethinking MBA and it was good but there's not much of opportunities in India for a fresh graduate. There are some in Call centres or some very routined clerical jobs. They ask for a Post graduate degree in all organisations. So what do u think of these freshers? How will they cope?
Do u have any suggestions?
Cheers
Gunjan
From India, Mumbai
I came across ur article on Rethinking MBA and it was good but there's not much of opportunities in India for a fresh graduate. There are some in Call centres or some very routined clerical jobs. They ask for a Post graduate degree in all organisations. So what do u think of these freshers? How will they cope?
Do u have any suggestions?
Cheers
Gunjan
From India, Mumbai
MBA RETHINKING
MBA program has become a money spinner and UNIS are churning
out QUANTITY and not QUALITY.
Employers' perception of an MBA graduate is that he/she should
know everything in their sphere of specialization.
It is not what is being taught, is a problem but how it is being
taught .
It is a question of how we can make the learning more effective
and implementable.
So it is the learning outcome and learning effectiveness that counts.
It really does not matter , whether it is 18 months or 24 months.
12 months is too short to learn/ digest/ understand the organization
and business management.
My suggestions are
1. Students entering MBA should take an aptitude test and seek
career counseling / second opinion on their choice.
2.Students should have 2 years working experience, before
entering MBA course.
3. Year one of MBA, the focus should be
- TOTAL organization operation
-how each functions operates
-how the functions integrate for common results
-how the function operators interact
-macro understanding of the organization
This one year program should have a regular tests and
continual feedback on the understanding of the concepts.
4. Year two, based on the aptitude test, focus on the special
subject , whether it is marketing or supply chain or HR.
Currently, students learn a lot of theory but lack the implementation
and its impact on the organization.
To complete the learning outcome and learning effectiveness,
during the second year, the students must work closely with
a local company, and learn the real life implementation.
The real learning / the difference between the theory /
implementation is the INTERACTIVENESS with the people
and within the organization functions.
and also managing the internal/ external forces.
This is the area where the fresh MBAs fail and struggle
to come to grips - implementation of their knowledge.
regards
LEO LINGHAM
From India, Mumbai
MBA program has become a money spinner and UNIS are churning
out QUANTITY and not QUALITY.
Employers' perception of an MBA graduate is that he/she should
know everything in their sphere of specialization.
It is not what is being taught, is a problem but how it is being
taught .
It is a question of how we can make the learning more effective
and implementable.
So it is the learning outcome and learning effectiveness that counts.
It really does not matter , whether it is 18 months or 24 months.
12 months is too short to learn/ digest/ understand the organization
and business management.
My suggestions are
1. Students entering MBA should take an aptitude test and seek
career counseling / second opinion on their choice.
2.Students should have 2 years working experience, before
entering MBA course.
3. Year one of MBA, the focus should be
- TOTAL organization operation
-how each functions operates
-how the functions integrate for common results
-how the function operators interact
-macro understanding of the organization
This one year program should have a regular tests and
continual feedback on the understanding of the concepts.
4. Year two, based on the aptitude test, focus on the special
subject , whether it is marketing or supply chain or HR.
Currently, students learn a lot of theory but lack the implementation
and its impact on the organization.
To complete the learning outcome and learning effectiveness,
during the second year, the students must work closely with
a local company, and learn the real life implementation.
The real learning / the difference between the theory /
implementation is the INTERACTIVENESS with the people
and within the organization functions.
and also managing the internal/ external forces.
This is the area where the fresh MBAs fail and struggle
to come to grips - implementation of their knowledge.
regards
LEO LINGHAM
From India, Mumbai
Greetings, all.
As a full Professor for the last five years teaching MBA and PhD students--and as Managing Director of a Consultancy with allied Consultants around the world-- may I share a few thoughts? Some of you will agree, and some of you will disagree, but many of you may find value in this post.
The overriding reason I started teaching arose when I was asked by a CEO of a Fortune 1000 Corporation to meet with and assess a new group of graduated MBAs with degrees from top schools.....ostensibly for placement into a decentralized management program the company was embracing--and which I had created. It was a perfect option--I wrote the script, now I could pick the players. Who would say no?
Guess what? I could not--from a business perspective--endorse the hiring of any of them.
Oh, they knew all the newest and latest buzzwords, and they knew how to present themselves in a business discussion, and how to dress appropriately, when to smile, how to be culturally correct, and what fork to use for a luncheon salad--but they had little or no knowledge of the applicable, functioning world of business. Social skills and communication are important, but don't get you top positions or offer best opportunities.
Having gone through an Advanced Education program myself, I believed I knew exactly why this was the case. History has proven me correct.
Oft times, Professors and Advisors at B-Schools teach theory, and expect the student to learn application from case studies. Graduate students are tempted to learn only exactly what they need to get by, and no more.
The age of questions and study and true learning of information across a range of disciplines--to better prepare for the true opportunities which await--is limited, I'm afraid.
So often, we are taught to only do what we must to get by. That's a truly sad commentary.
What I discovered from these Major B-School MBAs was a lack of knowledge of P&L dynamics; I learned very little about how they viewed HRM or HRD--and few could clearly explain the distinction. I was unable to get them to explain key points in finance; and although they knew the critical words--they were at a loss to explain exactly what the words meant.
If I had asked them to write a 500 word paper on their views of business trends over the past 50 years, they might have been able to discuss major trends, but if they were injected into an entrepreneurial situation running a business, they would have quickly found out that on the week you can't make the payroll--your employees don't care what Adam Smith said in The Wealth of Nations. All they care about is getting paid.
I must agree that if a person who does not know how to swim is thrown into a pool in water over his/her head, he/she will flail--in an attempt to save himself. Would it not be more productive and more applicable if he/she were taught the rudimentary guidelines of swimming first, rather than when he/she is drowning? And once taught those rudimentary guidelines, taught how to apply them properly?
I'm a firm believer that learning, tempered with experience, offers the most successful MBA and PhD candidates...and that's speaking from serving as Professor and Advisor to over 285 of them over the past five years or so.
My best advice is to study as much as you want, learn as much as you can--and practice those things which you study and learn. Even owning and/or managing a small business teaches principles best learned outside theory and school. Books are wonderful resources, but there's no substitute for experience.
This always leads to the argument, "But I have a graduate degree. Why can't I get a job?"
My friends, seize upon the best business opportunity--one that offers you the experience you need for your own personal "seasoning." Your learning and knowledge will propel you into the forefront of the business and you will find yourself quickly learning that responsibility will generally be delegated when you demonstrate your ability to accept it.
Recent worldwide studies have shown that an MBA will change jobs seven times over his/her lifetime. Be certain that your degrees do not outpace your applied knowledge and the applicability of the learning you take away from your degree program.
Alan Guinn, Managing Director
The Guinn Consultancy Group, Inc.
From United States, Bluff City
As a full Professor for the last five years teaching MBA and PhD students--and as Managing Director of a Consultancy with allied Consultants around the world-- may I share a few thoughts? Some of you will agree, and some of you will disagree, but many of you may find value in this post.
The overriding reason I started teaching arose when I was asked by a CEO of a Fortune 1000 Corporation to meet with and assess a new group of graduated MBAs with degrees from top schools.....ostensibly for placement into a decentralized management program the company was embracing--and which I had created. It was a perfect option--I wrote the script, now I could pick the players. Who would say no?
Guess what? I could not--from a business perspective--endorse the hiring of any of them.
Oh, they knew all the newest and latest buzzwords, and they knew how to present themselves in a business discussion, and how to dress appropriately, when to smile, how to be culturally correct, and what fork to use for a luncheon salad--but they had little or no knowledge of the applicable, functioning world of business. Social skills and communication are important, but don't get you top positions or offer best opportunities.
Having gone through an Advanced Education program myself, I believed I knew exactly why this was the case. History has proven me correct.
Oft times, Professors and Advisors at B-Schools teach theory, and expect the student to learn application from case studies. Graduate students are tempted to learn only exactly what they need to get by, and no more.
The age of questions and study and true learning of information across a range of disciplines--to better prepare for the true opportunities which await--is limited, I'm afraid.
So often, we are taught to only do what we must to get by. That's a truly sad commentary.
What I discovered from these Major B-School MBAs was a lack of knowledge of P&L dynamics; I learned very little about how they viewed HRM or HRD--and few could clearly explain the distinction. I was unable to get them to explain key points in finance; and although they knew the critical words--they were at a loss to explain exactly what the words meant.
If I had asked them to write a 500 word paper on their views of business trends over the past 50 years, they might have been able to discuss major trends, but if they were injected into an entrepreneurial situation running a business, they would have quickly found out that on the week you can't make the payroll--your employees don't care what Adam Smith said in The Wealth of Nations. All they care about is getting paid.
I must agree that if a person who does not know how to swim is thrown into a pool in water over his/her head, he/she will flail--in an attempt to save himself. Would it not be more productive and more applicable if he/she were taught the rudimentary guidelines of swimming first, rather than when he/she is drowning? And once taught those rudimentary guidelines, taught how to apply them properly?
I'm a firm believer that learning, tempered with experience, offers the most successful MBA and PhD candidates...and that's speaking from serving as Professor and Advisor to over 285 of them over the past five years or so.
My best advice is to study as much as you want, learn as much as you can--and practice those things which you study and learn. Even owning and/or managing a small business teaches principles best learned outside theory and school. Books are wonderful resources, but there's no substitute for experience.
This always leads to the argument, "But I have a graduate degree. Why can't I get a job?"
My friends, seize upon the best business opportunity--one that offers you the experience you need for your own personal "seasoning." Your learning and knowledge will propel you into the forefront of the business and you will find yourself quickly learning that responsibility will generally be delegated when you demonstrate your ability to accept it.
Recent worldwide studies have shown that an MBA will change jobs seven times over his/her lifetime. Be certain that your degrees do not outpace your applied knowledge and the applicability of the learning you take away from your degree program.
Alan Guinn, Managing Director
The Guinn Consultancy Group, Inc.
From United States, Bluff City
hello members,
the discusion by people here was great. good suggestion. but one thing i wanted to look on is. people say that a student with 2 years of experence must be allowed to do MBA. but you people think that the what work done by that person before can give him general view on how the organisation will be, what is the strutcure?, how the commands will be there, what are the obstacles in doing some innovative work?, different kind of person in the company etc., but for to know about i think 2 years is long time to spend. a month or 2 in a organisation can tell all this. after joining MBA the view and approach must be totally different for a person who has worked a engineer in the same or different organisation. so mroe than 2 years experence before. there must be more live projects in the organisation. more role play and environment must be formed for them to understand the corporate Race. If a person who cannot understand the above said features of the Corporate by 1 or 2 months then he doesnot have the competency to be a MBA graduate / manager in general.....
so this is what i want to specific on the topic
From India, Vadodara
the discusion by people here was great. good suggestion. but one thing i wanted to look on is. people say that a student with 2 years of experence must be allowed to do MBA. but you people think that the what work done by that person before can give him general view on how the organisation will be, what is the strutcure?, how the commands will be there, what are the obstacles in doing some innovative work?, different kind of person in the company etc., but for to know about i think 2 years is long time to spend. a month or 2 in a organisation can tell all this. after joining MBA the view and approach must be totally different for a person who has worked a engineer in the same or different organisation. so mroe than 2 years experence before. there must be more live projects in the organisation. more role play and environment must be formed for them to understand the corporate Race. If a person who cannot understand the above said features of the Corporate by 1 or 2 months then he doesnot have the competency to be a MBA graduate / manager in general.....
so this is what i want to specific on the topic
From India, Vadodara
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