'B-schools Will Remain Relevant If They Are Adaptable', Says IIM Bangalore Director
As the global economy undergoes rapid transformation, and as every sector witnesses flux and job roles get redefined, questions are being raised about the future of management and management education. How will B-school pass-outs steer the industry, will their roles increase, decrease, or significantly get reshaped – These questions that every B-school aspirant wants answers to. After all, getting into a premier B-school in India and then paying for the course is anything but easy.
Rishikesha T. Krishnan, Director, IIM Bangalore, and Mukta Kulkarni, Dean of Academics, describe the key pillars of innovations at the institute that align them with the present-day industry and societal needs.
Rishikesha T. Krishnan, Director, IIM Bangalore, assuages these concerns and says, “Management education in India has a good future as long as it’s adaptable. Although things are changing rapidly, there is still a demand for managerial capability. Skills and knowledge of the future include digital, data, AI, and elements, which we do teach. As long as we can identify elements that are changing, and include them in our curriculum, management education will continue to be relevant.”
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Describing the innovative approach at the institute, Mukta Kulkarni, Dean of Academics, IIM Bangalore, says three things are central to the robustness of a management program in the present economic milieu — real-world experiential learning, focus on sustainability, and global mindset.
Institues must at the forefront of enhancing student’s technological skills, at a time when AI has radically transformed the industry. Director Krishnan says that Premium on creativity and original thinking has gone up. A typical Gen AI tool good at collecting data and looking at sources one never dreamt of however if the project has to make a differeent impact, the student has to put in his own thoughts. Otherwise the Gen AI sumbissions read very similar.
B-schools must help students focus on real world challenges. Reduction in credits in programmes, time required in classrooms without compromising on the rigour and content of the programmes can be reduced so that students can spend more time on what suits their career objectives and participate in a number of activites as part of clubs.
IIMB concluded the recent summer internship process with impressive result and was able to place all the 600-plus students.
