Description
The new IIMs are in a great position to challenge existing mindsets, chiefly the tendency to gauge the merits of management education in terms of salary packages. But to achieve this, they have to first
maintain and even surpass the quality parameters habitually associated with the IIM name.
Start your Gold Membership to enjoy the full value of The Smart Manager.
Check http://www.thesmartmanager.com/goldmember.aspx for more information.
smart leader india comes to IIM
28 www.thesmartmanager.com
The Smart Manager
Sep-Oct 2011
smart leader
india comes to IIM
a fine balance india comes to iim
i think, therefore IIM
pp 48–51
dr prafulla agnihotri, iim trichy
illustration by: nilesh juvalekar
The Smart Manager
Sep-Oct 2011
www.thesmartmanager.com 29
smart leader india comes to IIM
The third fastest growing city in the world1 A tiny city in the
households in India3 A city at the center of the ‘rice bowl’ of India4
‘land of gods’2 The city with the highest number of SEC A
juggling the feudal with the modern8 The sixth fastest job-creating city in
India9 A city best known for rolling hills and rock and roll10 The second best city to
reside in India11 A city switching from tanneries to technology12 A city of lakes and palaces13 1 Ahmedabad 2Kashipur 3Bangalore 4Raipur 5 Calcutta 6Ranchi 7Indore 8Rohtak 9Lucknow 10 Shillong 11 Kozhikode 12Tiruchirappalli 13Udaipur
India comes to IIM
30 www.thesmartmanager.com The Smart Manager Sep-Oct 2011
tribal movement6 The Commercial Capital of Central India7 A city
The city with the second-largest bourse in India5 A city at the heart of a
smart leader
IIM Trichy
Agnihotri is Director of IIM Trichy.
i think, therefore IIM
? dr prafulla agnihotri
SMART SUMMARY The new IIMs are in a great position to challenge existing mindsets, chiefly the tendency to gauge the merits of management education in terms of salary packages. But to achieve this, they have to first maintain and even surpass the quality parameters habitually associated with the IIM name.
he key decisions involved with the creation of the new IIMs were availability of qualified faculty members with industry orientation, research and teaching/facilitating aptitude and experience. IIM Trichy being a new institution, we had to have a special emphasis on the attitude of the faculty members as they have to go well beyond their usual line of activities. For example, if a faculty member joins an established IIM like A, B or C, he/she may not be expected to be involved in students’ development as much as he or she would be expected in a new IIM. The other
T
48 www.thesmartmanager.com
The Smart Manager
Sep-Oct 2011
i think, therefore IIM
by agnihotri
challenge was to create an environment where one would automatically like to learn more and more. Next, to support this learning environment, we had to have infrastructure like classrooms, computer/internet facilities, library and decent hostel and mess facilities. The primary impressions of the incubation process have been positive. We could achieve most of the targets that we had set in front of us and are in the process of achieving the rest. We have six fully air-conditioned classrooms, NIT Trichy has given us one of their hostel buildings, the students also have access to the recreation facilities like the gym, swimming pool as well as the Central Library of the NIT.
them do not want to join academics), IIM Trichy plans to start a Fellowship Programme from the next year. Among other disciplines, we are also thinking of starting a program in Education Management which would have emphasis on grooming teachers as well as educational administrators.
innovation in pedagogy
Experimentation does not depend on whether you are a new school or an established one. We are certainly fortunate because we can learn from the others’ experiences and work out our own pedagogical design. As mentioned earlier, almost all our faculty members have experience of teaching in reputed bschools. They come with their experience and together we decide on the pedagogical design. IIM Trichy believes in experiential learning. We do not want our students to learn only from case studies; we want them to go well beyond case studies and connect with the consumers, the corporate world and the society as a whole to experience their learning and the plausible effects of their decisions. We invite senior managers from the industry to share their experiences with our students—this experience sharing goes beyond what textbooks alone would teach, and it also bridges the gap, if any, between theory and practice. It also makes our students ‘ready-touse’ employees for the industry. They understand the practical aspects of the theory discussed in the classroom better.
the talent crunch in management education
It is a fact that we do not get good faculty with an excellent research background and an aptitude for facilitating learning. IIM Trichy had received more than 400 applications from across the country; however, we could select only 15 of them. We are happy with the faculty members whom we have selected—all of them are PhDs from premier schools like IIMs or IITs in their respective areas. Some of them are PhDs from reputed schools abroad. We have also selected a French national who will join us shortly. We are planning to increase the number of faculty members at IIM Trichy to at least 20 by the end of this academic year. To address the issue of the so-called talent crunch (personally, I would not agree that there is a talent crunch—there is enough talent in India but most of
I would not agree that there is a talent crunch—there is enough talent in India but most of them do not want to join academics.
The Smart Manager
Sep-Oct 2011
www.thesmartmanager.com 49
i think, therefore IIM
by agnihotri
I don’t understand the rationale of this debate—whether the primary role of a bschool should be to teach or to research.
to teach or to research?
I don’t understand the rationale of this debate—whether the primary role of a bschool should be to teach or to research. It is like asking if a consumer product company should involve in R & D or only in making brands. If you do not create knowledge, what will you disseminate in the classroom? It depends on how you define the role of a teacher and a bschool—are they knowledge creators or only disseminators? In my opinion, both are inseparable. If you are not creating knowledge, you are disseminating knowledge created by someone else. A faculty at postgraduate level with a good PhD/fellowship should not teach unless s/he has proper research orientation. Having said that, I must add one more aspect to this debate. Not everyone who is a good researcher can teach effectively and vice-versa. It is the duty of the institute to understand the aptitude of the faculty member and nurture her/his talent accordingly. A bschool needs both of these skills.
the impact of knowledge hotspots on the local society and economy in a small city
We are all a part of the larger society. An IIM or an NIT cannot be an exception. We understand the importance of ‘society’, and therefore, IIM Trichy, as mentioned in its vision document, is a socially responsive education institute. We can help the local educational institutes in a number of ways—arranging teacher training, guiding their students, etc. We can be of help to the local industries—both small and big—by conducting management development programs, offering consulting and so on. We understand that we can play a pivotal role in both social and economic development of the region and are willing to offer our services in whichever way we can.
the dialog and interaction between IIM Trichy and brand IIM at large, and the role of the government
I don’t understand [this bifurcation]. What do you mean by “brand IIM at large”? IIM Tiruchirappalli is the proper name of the institute and it is an integral part of the IIM community. The only difference is that this IIM has come into existence 50 years after the first IIM was born. As to the government’s role—MHRD has given us funding, the state government has given us 172 acres of land at a place quite appropriate for developing a world-class campus, and it has promised that all the facilities and infrastructure would be provided for when we develop our permanent campus.
the pressure of sustaining the legacy of the mother brand
The older IIMs, by their hard work, have created a great aura around the brand IIM. The alumni of these IIMs have established themselves and are recognized for their
50 www.thesmartmanager.com
The Smart Manager
Sep-Oct 2011
i think, therefore IIM
by agnihotri
talent and abilities. The newer IIMs like IIM Trichy will have to create a place for themselves by working harder, offering the latest and the finest learning experience to their students, contributing to the knowledge pool by actively involving in world-class research and publishing the same in world-class journals which would give visibility to the faculty as well as to the IIM, participating in international conferences to present their research papers, actively seeking partnership with the industry, and most importantly, while doing all this, constantly keep raising the quality parameters higher and higher. Lastly, let us not forget that the older IIMs have become a legend not by compromising with the quality of their work—teaching, research, consulting as well as the selection of students—but by maintaining and regularly improving their work. Let us take pride in our work as we are in the oldest and perhaps the noblest profession in the world.
Salaries are no doubt important, but they are not everything. There are certain professions and industries which would always pay more than others. Investment banking is an example. We at IIM Trichy tell students to choose professions on the basis of their aptitude and interest and not just on the basis of salary and perquisites offered. We also encourage entrepreneurship. We would want our students to start on their own and build empires which would eventually offer employment to many others. We encourage our students to understand and appreciate their role in society. Not many are as fortunate as they are to have received a postgraduate degree from a premier institution like an IIM. We want them to repay the debt of the society they live in, in whatever form they can. India today needs ethical managers. We thus stress the role of ethics and governance in business. ?
on salary packages being the yardstick in management education
Who has created this notion? The media has played a huge role in creating this hype. We are a knowledgecreating and -disseminating institution. If the faculty have done their job well and the students have learned well, better placement and higher salaries would follow. Not otherwise. Why do you think the industry pays such high salaries to students from IIMs? Because they work harder, and the faculty make them work harder.
As told to Tanmoy Goswami.
Who has created this notion? The media has played a huge role in creating this hype.
The Smart Manager
Sep-Oct 2011
www.thesmartmanager.com 51
doc_429808081.pdf
The new IIMs are in a great position to challenge existing mindsets, chiefly the tendency to gauge the merits of management education in terms of salary packages. But to achieve this, they have to first
maintain and even surpass the quality parameters habitually associated with the IIM name.
Start your Gold Membership to enjoy the full value of The Smart Manager.
Check http://www.thesmartmanager.com/goldmember.aspx for more information.
smart leader india comes to IIM
28 www.thesmartmanager.com
The Smart Manager
Sep-Oct 2011
smart leader
india comes to IIM
a fine balance india comes to iim
i think, therefore IIM
pp 48–51
dr prafulla agnihotri, iim trichy
illustration by: nilesh juvalekar
The Smart Manager
Sep-Oct 2011
www.thesmartmanager.com 29
smart leader india comes to IIM
The third fastest growing city in the world1 A tiny city in the
households in India3 A city at the center of the ‘rice bowl’ of India4
‘land of gods’2 The city with the highest number of SEC A
juggling the feudal with the modern8 The sixth fastest job-creating city in
India9 A city best known for rolling hills and rock and roll10 The second best city to
reside in India11 A city switching from tanneries to technology12 A city of lakes and palaces13 1 Ahmedabad 2Kashipur 3Bangalore 4Raipur 5 Calcutta 6Ranchi 7Indore 8Rohtak 9Lucknow 10 Shillong 11 Kozhikode 12Tiruchirappalli 13Udaipur
India comes to IIM
30 www.thesmartmanager.com The Smart Manager Sep-Oct 2011
tribal movement6 The Commercial Capital of Central India7 A city
The city with the second-largest bourse in India5 A city at the heart of a
smart leader
IIM Trichy
Agnihotri is Director of IIM Trichy.
i think, therefore IIM
? dr prafulla agnihotri
SMART SUMMARY The new IIMs are in a great position to challenge existing mindsets, chiefly the tendency to gauge the merits of management education in terms of salary packages. But to achieve this, they have to first maintain and even surpass the quality parameters habitually associated with the IIM name.
he key decisions involved with the creation of the new IIMs were availability of qualified faculty members with industry orientation, research and teaching/facilitating aptitude and experience. IIM Trichy being a new institution, we had to have a special emphasis on the attitude of the faculty members as they have to go well beyond their usual line of activities. For example, if a faculty member joins an established IIM like A, B or C, he/she may not be expected to be involved in students’ development as much as he or she would be expected in a new IIM. The other
T
48 www.thesmartmanager.com
The Smart Manager
Sep-Oct 2011
i think, therefore IIM
by agnihotri
challenge was to create an environment where one would automatically like to learn more and more. Next, to support this learning environment, we had to have infrastructure like classrooms, computer/internet facilities, library and decent hostel and mess facilities. The primary impressions of the incubation process have been positive. We could achieve most of the targets that we had set in front of us and are in the process of achieving the rest. We have six fully air-conditioned classrooms, NIT Trichy has given us one of their hostel buildings, the students also have access to the recreation facilities like the gym, swimming pool as well as the Central Library of the NIT.
them do not want to join academics), IIM Trichy plans to start a Fellowship Programme from the next year. Among other disciplines, we are also thinking of starting a program in Education Management which would have emphasis on grooming teachers as well as educational administrators.
innovation in pedagogy
Experimentation does not depend on whether you are a new school or an established one. We are certainly fortunate because we can learn from the others’ experiences and work out our own pedagogical design. As mentioned earlier, almost all our faculty members have experience of teaching in reputed bschools. They come with their experience and together we decide on the pedagogical design. IIM Trichy believes in experiential learning. We do not want our students to learn only from case studies; we want them to go well beyond case studies and connect with the consumers, the corporate world and the society as a whole to experience their learning and the plausible effects of their decisions. We invite senior managers from the industry to share their experiences with our students—this experience sharing goes beyond what textbooks alone would teach, and it also bridges the gap, if any, between theory and practice. It also makes our students ‘ready-touse’ employees for the industry. They understand the practical aspects of the theory discussed in the classroom better.
the talent crunch in management education
It is a fact that we do not get good faculty with an excellent research background and an aptitude for facilitating learning. IIM Trichy had received more than 400 applications from across the country; however, we could select only 15 of them. We are happy with the faculty members whom we have selected—all of them are PhDs from premier schools like IIMs or IITs in their respective areas. Some of them are PhDs from reputed schools abroad. We have also selected a French national who will join us shortly. We are planning to increase the number of faculty members at IIM Trichy to at least 20 by the end of this academic year. To address the issue of the so-called talent crunch (personally, I would not agree that there is a talent crunch—there is enough talent in India but most of
I would not agree that there is a talent crunch—there is enough talent in India but most of them do not want to join academics.
The Smart Manager
Sep-Oct 2011
www.thesmartmanager.com 49
i think, therefore IIM
by agnihotri
I don’t understand the rationale of this debate—whether the primary role of a bschool should be to teach or to research.
to teach or to research?
I don’t understand the rationale of this debate—whether the primary role of a bschool should be to teach or to research. It is like asking if a consumer product company should involve in R & D or only in making brands. If you do not create knowledge, what will you disseminate in the classroom? It depends on how you define the role of a teacher and a bschool—are they knowledge creators or only disseminators? In my opinion, both are inseparable. If you are not creating knowledge, you are disseminating knowledge created by someone else. A faculty at postgraduate level with a good PhD/fellowship should not teach unless s/he has proper research orientation. Having said that, I must add one more aspect to this debate. Not everyone who is a good researcher can teach effectively and vice-versa. It is the duty of the institute to understand the aptitude of the faculty member and nurture her/his talent accordingly. A bschool needs both of these skills.
the impact of knowledge hotspots on the local society and economy in a small city
We are all a part of the larger society. An IIM or an NIT cannot be an exception. We understand the importance of ‘society’, and therefore, IIM Trichy, as mentioned in its vision document, is a socially responsive education institute. We can help the local educational institutes in a number of ways—arranging teacher training, guiding their students, etc. We can be of help to the local industries—both small and big—by conducting management development programs, offering consulting and so on. We understand that we can play a pivotal role in both social and economic development of the region and are willing to offer our services in whichever way we can.
the dialog and interaction between IIM Trichy and brand IIM at large, and the role of the government
I don’t understand [this bifurcation]. What do you mean by “brand IIM at large”? IIM Tiruchirappalli is the proper name of the institute and it is an integral part of the IIM community. The only difference is that this IIM has come into existence 50 years after the first IIM was born. As to the government’s role—MHRD has given us funding, the state government has given us 172 acres of land at a place quite appropriate for developing a world-class campus, and it has promised that all the facilities and infrastructure would be provided for when we develop our permanent campus.
the pressure of sustaining the legacy of the mother brand
The older IIMs, by their hard work, have created a great aura around the brand IIM. The alumni of these IIMs have established themselves and are recognized for their
50 www.thesmartmanager.com
The Smart Manager
Sep-Oct 2011
i think, therefore IIM
by agnihotri
talent and abilities. The newer IIMs like IIM Trichy will have to create a place for themselves by working harder, offering the latest and the finest learning experience to their students, contributing to the knowledge pool by actively involving in world-class research and publishing the same in world-class journals which would give visibility to the faculty as well as to the IIM, participating in international conferences to present their research papers, actively seeking partnership with the industry, and most importantly, while doing all this, constantly keep raising the quality parameters higher and higher. Lastly, let us not forget that the older IIMs have become a legend not by compromising with the quality of their work—teaching, research, consulting as well as the selection of students—but by maintaining and regularly improving their work. Let us take pride in our work as we are in the oldest and perhaps the noblest profession in the world.
Salaries are no doubt important, but they are not everything. There are certain professions and industries which would always pay more than others. Investment banking is an example. We at IIM Trichy tell students to choose professions on the basis of their aptitude and interest and not just on the basis of salary and perquisites offered. We also encourage entrepreneurship. We would want our students to start on their own and build empires which would eventually offer employment to many others. We encourage our students to understand and appreciate their role in society. Not many are as fortunate as they are to have received a postgraduate degree from a premier institution like an IIM. We want them to repay the debt of the society they live in, in whatever form they can. India today needs ethical managers. We thus stress the role of ethics and governance in business. ?
on salary packages being the yardstick in management education
Who has created this notion? The media has played a huge role in creating this hype. We are a knowledgecreating and -disseminating institution. If the faculty have done their job well and the students have learned well, better placement and higher salaries would follow. Not otherwise. Why do you think the industry pays such high salaries to students from IIMs? Because they work harder, and the faculty make them work harder.
As told to Tanmoy Goswami.
Who has created this notion? The media has played a huge role in creating this hype.
The Smart Manager
Sep-Oct 2011
www.thesmartmanager.com 51
doc_429808081.pdf