ourteen villages located near the Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai, boast 100% literacy, claimed Bala Balachandran, founder and dean of the business school.
Students of Great Lakes have been teaching the villagers as part of the school’s efforts to engage with the “base of the pyramid”, he said.
This is but one example of a growing trend among India’s top business schools, including the elite Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs).
They are trying to inculcate a sense of social and environmental responsibility among students to make them better managers—not just through extracurricular initiatives but also as part of their management curricula.
“There is more to the bottom line of a company,” said Balachandran, who earlier taught at Carnegie Mellon University and Kellogg School of Management in the US. “B-schools need a B-quotient, and here it means emotional quotient and compassion for society.”
Students at IIM-Ranchi have been asked to spend weekends in nearby villages.
“Some students don’t like it, but we know in the long run this will make them complete managers,” said M.J. Xavier, director of the institute. “Unless you understand the socio-cultural realities, the business decisions may not be perfect.”
Xavier said his students have designed an environmental awareness course for miners, as the institute is based in a state known for mining: Jharkhand. “Besides, we are teaching students yoga and a module on inner development.”
Both Balachandran and Xavier were in New Delhi on Thursday to attend a conference on management education, along with several peers.
P. Rameshan, director of IIM-Rohtak, said it is his institute’s responsibility to contribute to society.
“We are organizing a marathon with villagers in Haryana to create awareness about female foeticide,” he said. Haryana has among the poorest sex ratios in India because of rampant female foeticide.
XLRI School of Business and Human Resources, located in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, has made it compulsory for students to spend some weekends in villages. Director E. Abraham said budding managers should learn from the people they are going to view as prospective customers.
“The principles of global management—dialogue and communicating with real society—have to be there as part of the teaching,” said Abraham, a former director of Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar. XLRI has also started a so-called “joy of giving week” to collect clothes and distribute among the poor.
At the Xavier Institute of Social Service, Ranchi, students must do a 40-day stint in villages, said Sanjeev Bajaj, chief coordinator.
The Indian economy is changing, he said, and there is a demand for managers outside of corporate jobs. “Even in a corporate set up, you need to interact with the workforce at their level. Labour relations is key to corporate success. Here we have to learn from all.”
Students of Great Lakes have been teaching the villagers as part of the school’s efforts to engage with the “base of the pyramid”, he said.
This is but one example of a growing trend among India’s top business schools, including the elite Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs).
They are trying to inculcate a sense of social and environmental responsibility among students to make them better managers—not just through extracurricular initiatives but also as part of their management curricula.
“There is more to the bottom line of a company,” said Balachandran, who earlier taught at Carnegie Mellon University and Kellogg School of Management in the US. “B-schools need a B-quotient, and here it means emotional quotient and compassion for society.”
Students at IIM-Ranchi have been asked to spend weekends in nearby villages.
“Some students don’t like it, but we know in the long run this will make them complete managers,” said M.J. Xavier, director of the institute. “Unless you understand the socio-cultural realities, the business decisions may not be perfect.”
Xavier said his students have designed an environmental awareness course for miners, as the institute is based in a state known for mining: Jharkhand. “Besides, we are teaching students yoga and a module on inner development.”
Both Balachandran and Xavier were in New Delhi on Thursday to attend a conference on management education, along with several peers.
P. Rameshan, director of IIM-Rohtak, said it is his institute’s responsibility to contribute to society.
“We are organizing a marathon with villagers in Haryana to create awareness about female foeticide,” he said. Haryana has among the poorest sex ratios in India because of rampant female foeticide.
XLRI School of Business and Human Resources, located in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, has made it compulsory for students to spend some weekends in villages. Director E. Abraham said budding managers should learn from the people they are going to view as prospective customers.
“The principles of global management—dialogue and communicating with real society—have to be there as part of the teaching,” said Abraham, a former director of Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar. XLRI has also started a so-called “joy of giving week” to collect clothes and distribute among the poor.
At the Xavier Institute of Social Service, Ranchi, students must do a 40-day stint in villages, said Sanjeev Bajaj, chief coordinator.
The Indian economy is changing, he said, and there is a demand for managers outside of corporate jobs. “Even in a corporate set up, you need to interact with the workforce at their level. Labour relations is key to corporate success. Here we have to learn from all.”