The Need for Innovation in Management Education

Higher education will be the critical lever, which will enable India to en-cash its “demographic dividend”. We have a real opportunity to become the global hub for delivery of “knowledge-led services” and “frugal manufacturing”.

Massive doses of re-engineering will be required, especially of the country’s professional education (i.e. Management, Engineering, etc.).

While collaborative efforts between the IT industry and Engineering colleges have notched up notable successes, there is much scope for Management Education to re-invent itself. Currently available technologies offer great promise, as an enabler of this change.
The questions to ask are:
1. How can technology assist in revising and communicating changes to syllabi, to a wide spectrum of stakeholders, at a reasonable high frequency?
2. How effective are Knowledge Management Systems, Social Media networking, e-learning and other technologies in providing faculty and students with access to rich, relevant and current knowledge?

There is growing confirmation that the “employability-skills” are critically in short supply. These skills include “soft-skills” such as critical thinking, flexibility & adaptability, self-direction, a positive attitude, etc.
The questions to ask are:
1. Which are the most critical or burning skills? Does this vary widely between different industries?

2. What is the appropriate blend between e-learning & face-to-face methods, for different categories of soft-skills?

There is a growing acceptance that the “education infrastructure” needs to become flexible and “soft”. Just like electronic banking has taken over from the brick & mortar branches, similar transformations are imminent in education. A continuous drive to cut costs & and increase reach, so that a “rich-in-outcomes” education is affordable to growing sections of India’s less affluent population, and accessible in the remotest corners of the country.

“Bottom-of-the-pyramid” innovation is required in education. Information technology will be the primary fuel for this innovation.

Management Education - Is Pune doing a good enough job?

The winter of recession seems to be leaving us, and the global economy seems to be warming up. The "new economy" will be different, in the following ways:

• knowledge and "soft" power will be the prime drivers of the economy
• countries with the demographic dividend will have a greater leveraging ability.

India has much to gain from the emerging scenario. However, it will have to convert it's demographic profile into competent human capital. Education, especially management education, will be the most critical "game changer".

Pune - the so called Oxford of the East (??), is home to 200 or so management institutions. These institutions are churning out tons of "post graduates in management". But are these young minds really instilled with the "game changing" qualities that will be required? Are we as educators adding value? Or we letting the system & status-quo overcome us?

We will have to be more innovative. We will have leverage technology, knowledge management systems and teaching-learning methods so that we can transmit tacit & explicit knowledge to a large student population (mass education), in the shortest possible time. And all this must be done affordably.

After all, India is still a poor country. But with a large youthful population which has high aspirations. Their expectations from their teachers is also high!

Education, Innovation & Mera Bharat Mahaan!!

There is evidence that the current economic crisis, has been “financially engineered”. The rewards have been high for a few, but collateral damage inflicted on the rest of the world has been extremely high.

The answer to getting out of the crisis, is to increase aggregate demand (read expand size of markets) so that every other economic variable can move into gear. So where does the world in general, and India in particular, go from here?

The answer is INNOVATE, to survive and thrive:
· While “developed” markets will stay saturated, the only option would be to develop and serve untapped markets. Many are realizing that rural India (BHARAT) is one such opportunity. Bringing Bharat into the mainstream would ensure greater markets, greater growth and most importantly, development of the nation.
· Education and IT are the two levers that can unlock the market potential of Bharat.

Technology (especially IT, Internet and Telecom) has already shown us, its ability to empower India:
· India’s telecom industry, among the most vibrant (and profitable) in the world, is releasing entrepreneurial energy, across all sections of our society.
· The National Stock Exchange has taken the stock market from the hands of a few, to the “aam aadmi”.
· The Railway Reservation system has demonstrated the value IT can bring, to the lives of all sections of our society.
· Much, much more is possible – e.g. RTI, E-Governance…

The answer is clear – empower the poor, by giving them access to the benefits of technology. Create new markets. Spur growth. And hence buck the economic downturn. The big question is – how can we reach the benefits of technology to the poor? We can do so, through EDUCATION.

Armed with a working knowledge of English, and the ability to use tools, such as the Internet, email, etc.; we can rapidly bring rural India into the mainstream of global markets – as buyers and suppliers. Imagine a farmer being able to take orders online and deliver directly, without middlemen and bureaucracy! The value of this connectedness cannot be undermined. The cell phone has already reduced the distance between places and people. This “connectivity” has served as a leveler between Bharat and India.


Education, especially in IT literacy must be given the importance it deserves. And the possibilities are endless. Investment in Education is possibly the best investment anyone can make. Education will empower people to rise above a world ridden with fear and uncertainty. And, march confidently into the future.

IT companies must re-cast their business model

The current business sitaution, demands that Indian IT companies re-cast their business model:

• It is time to come back home. Despite the slowdown, India is among the fewer markets which will have a "positive" growth story, for a sustainable future period.
• Invest in Sales & Marketing. The risks and costs are lower in India. At the same time, this will help you move up the value chain, and closer to the end customer. And create a solution mind set in the organization.
• Innovate customer value. Go-to-market with solutions that provide value to your customers. Clearly, the time & material model is fast becoming a dying art-form.

Has "leveraging" become a bad word

Leveraging has been the basis on which our so called "modern" economy has been built. In the space of a month, the very foundations of the world's financial economy are shaking at it's roots. It appears that not a single industry will be spared. And an unsuspecting world will now pay a very heavy price, for our past consumptive greed.

Has the financial industry misused and abused "leveraging" to the point, that it has now become a bad word.

Has the "Hindu rate of growth" now become a virtuous term! Is India a safer market than most, because of it's past conservatism?