An interview with Mrs. Archana Mandar Jog - visiting faculty at premier b-schools
· Tell us something about yourself and your institute?
I have been into corporate HR for about 11 years and since last 5 years turned to training and grooming management students. I started training at SPTM from nearly the inception of the institute. I was also involved with designing a course and developing a curriculum for “Professional Communication”.
· When did you join teaching profession? Why did you choose to be a professor?
I joined teaching profession 5 years ago, in the year 2007. I have always wanted to get into training while I was at the corporate. I interviewed some of the SPTM students for a summer job and observed a few gaps as far the soft skills were concerned. So I contacted the institute and shared my views with them, later I worked with SPTM to develop a curriculum and course for their professional communication subject.
· What about teaching at b-schools inspires you the most?
Two things:
It is extremely inspiring to see today’s generation so driven to their goals, it is stimulating to see their clarity of thoughts
Teaching in b-schools helps us keep on our toes; we need to be updated with not only current affairs but also current trends in order to think of more practical applications to the theories that we are transferring in the class rooms.
[/list]
· Which subjects do you teach? Which ones do you like the most?
I teach a spread of 15 different topics which are packaged in the following subjects:
Business communication and personality development
Principles of Management
HRD and Training and development
Organizational Behaviour
Environmental Management
I enjoy teaching personality and competency development the most.
· What is your teaching philosophy?
Very simple – if we attach more practically applicable references to our theories, the theories are accepted more openly and hence learned more effectively.
· Do you believe teaching should be more application based than theory? If yes, then how do you support it?
Well, answer to this question is clearly mentioned in my philosophy of teaching.
Gone are those days when we use examples of those references which the students have not used or experienced, we must as teachers connect our teaching with the students’ current life styles, passions and trends.
Even while teaching corporate behaviour to first year students who have not experienced corporate life, we must connect those experiences and references with their current lives and current connections.
· Who in your life has influenced you the most?
I have two facets to this answer
My parents have inspired me most so far. They are not very highly educated people, but they have learnt a lot in life and have applied it most effectively. My father has taught me to be a very good human being first and then a good professional or whatever else I want to be and I follow his advice blindly which has taken me places that I have enjoyed being.
Second face of this answer is, all those bad teachers, bad individuals that I have met have influenced my life in a way to teach me what I should not be.
[/list]
· What suggestions would you like to make in the course of MBA?
I would like a different way of assessments in all the MBA courses in India. I am talking about India because I have encountered only Indian education market so far.
· As a faculty, what kind of projects do you expect students to work upon?
I would like them to take up more live, simulation based projects rather than hypothetical situations and typical text book based projects.
· How are current technological advancements changing your teaching style?
Using PPTs, uploading them on the virtual server to share with each student instead of emailing them, asking for projects documents to be emailed rather than submitting on paper enables us to save them for longer period of time.
· What is the impact of mobile technologies boom influencing your area of specialization?
While teaching communication related topics, there has to be a lot of references that need to be changed according to the new age mobile technology. Apart from email etiquette and basic telephonic communication, new version of communication like mobile phone usage and etiquette has to be incorporated as a special topic to cover.
· How are social networks influencing your discipline?
Well, again it may be a repetition to the above topic, like mobile technology, social networking has added a new component to the concept of communication and relationships, which need to be covered and updated in the course curriculum for soft skills.
· How does the economy story of India change your discipline?
It has presented a lot of changes. Due to globalization, a lot of references into communication, personality and competencies have changed.
· What changes do you see on the horizon in your area of discipline?
I see quite a few changes that are going to take place. Cultural changes happening day by day, concept of relationships changing and most importantly changes in working relationships are going to see a lot of changes in the way a professor communicates and connects with the students.
· One touching incident that happened with you in your teaching career?
There are quite a few which I can think of.
For a post graduate class, final assessment is taken through personal interviews and at such times, I connect with each student on a different level. Most of them want to share their thoughts, their lives. They pour their hearts and dreams in front of me. At that moment, they are emotionally attached with me. This must be because I talk about their personalities, through my subject, I guide them to win over their weaknesses, sharpen their strong points and generally I like to make them aware of their own qualities.
Another very touching and usual occurrence in my class is, when as an ice breaker game I ask them to share just one of their qualities and skills. And it is touching to see that most of them at a post graduate level are not aware of these in their own personalities. This I feel is a failure of our education system.
· There is a shortage of eminent professors at b-schools. With more and more institutes offering the MBA course, do you think MBA will become just another degree?
It already has become just another degree. I feel, the assessment system at MBA level is still very similar to what we have at degree or even school level in our country.
And if there is a shortage of eminent professors at B-School, it is I feel, again may be due to the assessment or selection criteria that we have farmed for the trainers or teachers at that level.
· Do you think the course curriculum is at par with industry expectations?
NO. It is not.
· If you hadn’t been a professor, what would you be? What are your professional/career goals?
I had been a non-professor before becoming a professor and now I feel this is where I belong. I enjoy teaching / training and I know that participants enjoy my teaching methods.
My career / professional goal is to keep researching better and better ways to deliver training effectively and to be the best soft skills / behavioural trainer in India.
· What message would you like to give to students across the globe?
I would like students to enjoy their student life. Of course, they must take their curriculum seriously but most importantly enjoy what they are doing, so that they carry this feeling further to their professional lives. I urge the students to find a work life balance in their lives NOW and keep it balanced forever.
· Any feedback for ManagementParadise.com?
Keep it up! Wish you all the best!
. How can our readers contact you? Facebook or Twitter Id
I am on facebook as Archana Jog and they can always mail me at my email ID.
· Tell us something about yourself and your institute?
I have been into corporate HR for about 11 years and since last 5 years turned to training and grooming management students. I started training at SPTM from nearly the inception of the institute. I was also involved with designing a course and developing a curriculum for “Professional Communication”.
· When did you join teaching profession? Why did you choose to be a professor?
I joined teaching profession 5 years ago, in the year 2007. I have always wanted to get into training while I was at the corporate. I interviewed some of the SPTM students for a summer job and observed a few gaps as far the soft skills were concerned. So I contacted the institute and shared my views with them, later I worked with SPTM to develop a curriculum and course for their professional communication subject.
· What about teaching at b-schools inspires you the most?
Two things:
It is extremely inspiring to see today’s generation so driven to their goals, it is stimulating to see their clarity of thoughts
Teaching in b-schools helps us keep on our toes; we need to be updated with not only current affairs but also current trends in order to think of more practical applications to the theories that we are transferring in the class rooms.
[/list]
· Which subjects do you teach? Which ones do you like the most?
I teach a spread of 15 different topics which are packaged in the following subjects:
Business communication and personality development
Principles of Management
HRD and Training and development
Organizational Behaviour
Environmental Management
I enjoy teaching personality and competency development the most.
· What is your teaching philosophy?
Very simple – if we attach more practically applicable references to our theories, the theories are accepted more openly and hence learned more effectively.
· Do you believe teaching should be more application based than theory? If yes, then how do you support it?
Well, answer to this question is clearly mentioned in my philosophy of teaching.
Gone are those days when we use examples of those references which the students have not used or experienced, we must as teachers connect our teaching with the students’ current life styles, passions and trends.
Even while teaching corporate behaviour to first year students who have not experienced corporate life, we must connect those experiences and references with their current lives and current connections.
· Who in your life has influenced you the most?
I have two facets to this answer
My parents have inspired me most so far. They are not very highly educated people, but they have learnt a lot in life and have applied it most effectively. My father has taught me to be a very good human being first and then a good professional or whatever else I want to be and I follow his advice blindly which has taken me places that I have enjoyed being.
Second face of this answer is, all those bad teachers, bad individuals that I have met have influenced my life in a way to teach me what I should not be.
[/list]
· What suggestions would you like to make in the course of MBA?
I would like a different way of assessments in all the MBA courses in India. I am talking about India because I have encountered only Indian education market so far.
· As a faculty, what kind of projects do you expect students to work upon?
I would like them to take up more live, simulation based projects rather than hypothetical situations and typical text book based projects.
· How are current technological advancements changing your teaching style?
Using PPTs, uploading them on the virtual server to share with each student instead of emailing them, asking for projects documents to be emailed rather than submitting on paper enables us to save them for longer period of time.
· What is the impact of mobile technologies boom influencing your area of specialization?
While teaching communication related topics, there has to be a lot of references that need to be changed according to the new age mobile technology. Apart from email etiquette and basic telephonic communication, new version of communication like mobile phone usage and etiquette has to be incorporated as a special topic to cover.
· How are social networks influencing your discipline?
Well, again it may be a repetition to the above topic, like mobile technology, social networking has added a new component to the concept of communication and relationships, which need to be covered and updated in the course curriculum for soft skills.
· How does the economy story of India change your discipline?
It has presented a lot of changes. Due to globalization, a lot of references into communication, personality and competencies have changed.
· What changes do you see on the horizon in your area of discipline?
I see quite a few changes that are going to take place. Cultural changes happening day by day, concept of relationships changing and most importantly changes in working relationships are going to see a lot of changes in the way a professor communicates and connects with the students.
· One touching incident that happened with you in your teaching career?
There are quite a few which I can think of.
For a post graduate class, final assessment is taken through personal interviews and at such times, I connect with each student on a different level. Most of them want to share their thoughts, their lives. They pour their hearts and dreams in front of me. At that moment, they are emotionally attached with me. This must be because I talk about their personalities, through my subject, I guide them to win over their weaknesses, sharpen their strong points and generally I like to make them aware of their own qualities.
Another very touching and usual occurrence in my class is, when as an ice breaker game I ask them to share just one of their qualities and skills. And it is touching to see that most of them at a post graduate level are not aware of these in their own personalities. This I feel is a failure of our education system.
· There is a shortage of eminent professors at b-schools. With more and more institutes offering the MBA course, do you think MBA will become just another degree?
It already has become just another degree. I feel, the assessment system at MBA level is still very similar to what we have at degree or even school level in our country.
And if there is a shortage of eminent professors at B-School, it is I feel, again may be due to the assessment or selection criteria that we have farmed for the trainers or teachers at that level.
· Do you think the course curriculum is at par with industry expectations?
NO. It is not.
· If you hadn’t been a professor, what would you be? What are your professional/career goals?
I had been a non-professor before becoming a professor and now I feel this is where I belong. I enjoy teaching / training and I know that participants enjoy my teaching methods.
My career / professional goal is to keep researching better and better ways to deliver training effectively and to be the best soft skills / behavioural trainer in India.
· What message would you like to give to students across the globe?
I would like students to enjoy their student life. Of course, they must take their curriculum seriously but most importantly enjoy what they are doing, so that they carry this feeling further to their professional lives. I urge the students to find a work life balance in their lives NOW and keep it balanced forever.
· Any feedback for ManagementParadise.com?
Keep it up! Wish you all the best!
. How can our readers contact you? Facebook or Twitter Id
I am on facebook as Archana Jog and they can always mail me at my email ID.