Navigating The Future Of Management Education

How do you see the landscape of management education evolving in the face of changing industry demands?
Management education has a rich history, primarily rooted in case study methodologies pioneered by institutions like Howard. However, it's crucial to consider the context, especially regarding the participants. In countries like India, many MBA aspirants lack substantial work experience, which is traditionally seen as fundamental for contextual understanding in management education.

Today, the landscape of management education is diverse, with thousands of B-schools in India alone, each with its own approach and philosophy. Some emphasise case studies, while others may not. What's evident is the integration of management education with various domains like arts, humanities and technology. This integration reflects a shift towards cross-disciplinary learning, challenging the traditional notion of a standardised MBA curriculum.

The essence of management education lies in its flexibility and continuous evolution. There's no one-size-fits-all approach, as different institutions and educators experiment with diverse methods and philosophies. Innovation is key and experimentation is necessary for progress. What works for one school may not work for another, emphasising the importance of effective implementation alongside pedagogical strategies.

How can management education be made more relevant and practical for students entering the workforce?
I believe one of the most enduring questions in education is how aligned we are with the industry. It's a question that remains relevant no matter the era, as the core of management education lies in preparing students for real-world challenges. At Acharya Bangalore Business School, we constantly seek industry inputs and alumni feedback to refine our curriculum and approach. This iterative process occurs twice a year, ensuring our programmes stay current and effective.

For me, experiential learning is paramount in management education. While theoretical knowledge is crucial, it's the practical application that truly prepares students for the complexities of the business world. We strive to strike a balance between theory and practice, offering opportunities for hands-on learning through live projects and on-the-job experiences.

In today's fast-paced environment, it's essential to equip students with the skills that are in demand. That's why we focus on teaching immediate, industry-relevant skills such as advanced Excel and business analytics. By exposing students to a variety of industry tools and involving practitioners in their education, we provide them with invaluable real-world context and problem-solving abilities.

Are there any specific technological advancements that you believe will have a significant impact on management education?
In the midst of all this disruption, I often find myself pondering the relevance of what we're teaching. With automation on the rise and the field of analytics expanding rapidly, I sometimes wonder if our curriculum is keeping pace. We recently introduced a programme in business analytics under Bangalore University, known as MBA in Business Analytics. It's a pioneering course that combines both management and technology aspects. However, a solid grasp of statistics is essential to navigate through the analytics-focused portions, which constitute about 30 to 40 per cent of the course content. The remaining 60 per cent focusses on management concepts. Crafting this curriculum required a thorough understanding of where the baseline lies and what adjustments were needed to align with the demands of the evolving landscape.

How does the MBA programme at Acharya Bangalore Business School prepare its students for the current Job market?
Experiential learning is a big focus for us. One thing we've introduced in both our MBA and PGDM programmes is socially relevant projects, like our campus-to-community initiatives. These projects aim to sensitise students to broader social issues and encourage them to look beyond just profits, helping smaller entities solving their problems. It's all about starting that journey towards experiential learning early on.

After that initial phase, our students dive into a lot of project-based work and internships. For example, our PGDM students undergo a four-and-a-half-month internship programme, which is quite intensive. We make sure they get practical exposure not just in the industry but also within the campus environment.

We also organise conferences, workshops and bring in industry experts to share their knowledge directly with our students. These sessions are hands-on, with students working on real-time problems right then and there.

How is ABBS adapting its curriculum and teaching methods to align with the NEP's focus on holistic development and critical thinking skills?

Despite its release four years ago, holistic and multidisciplinary approach makes immediate implementation challenging. With India's higher education landscape being incredibly diverse, particularly at the grassroots level, it's not a simple task to pinpoint necessary changes and enact them swiftly.

While the NEP doesn't prescribe specific alterations for management education, it encourages integrating disciplines such as psychology and humanities into business and management studies.

I anticipate that the NEP will empower management education to experiment more with curriculum. However, the policy offers little in terms of specific implementation guidance, leaving much room for interpretation and adaptation at the institutional level.

Mayank Badhwar

BW Reporters The reporter works as Senior Correspondent with BW Businessworld