There Are Basic Constraints To Published Output: IIMB Director G. Raghuram

The Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB) has been ranked among the top 25 in the QS Masters Management Ranking 2018. The faculty’s research papers are published in top management journals like Harvard Business Review, Strategic Management Journal, to name a few. With a focus on holistic education, IIMB is the only Indian B-school in the network of 32 global B-schools convened by the Yale School of Management. IIMB Director G. RAGHURAM speaks with BW Businessworld’s WAQAR AHMED FAHAD on a range of issues concerning management education.

Why should students choose your school?
IIM Bangalore provides high-quality holistic and transformational education.

An AIMA vision document says that India should be the second best global hub after the US for B-school education by 2025. Is it doable?
Yes, it is doable with a focus on quality.  

Why do top Indian B-schools not figure in the top global B-school lists?
This is incorrect. At least four schools from India figure in the top global B-school lists.

How ready are Indian B-schools for Industrial Revolution 4.0?
The fundamental objective of top Indian B-schools are to prepare students to handle any situation, or, for that matter, any disruption in the environment. The top B-schools are definitely ready for this.

With entry-level jobs shrinking due to AI and automation, what plans do Indian B schools have to place their graduates?
I am not sure that AI and automation would affect entry-level managerial roles. In fact, the need would increase since we will need minds that will drive (with appropriate caution) and leverage the benefits of AI and automation.

What measures are Indian B-schools taking to create entrepreneurs instead of just job-seekers? What percentage of B-school graduates turn to entrepreneurship at the outset?
There are many measures. Courses in entrepreneurship are becoming part of the core curriculum. More electives are on offer. Incubation centres provide an opportunity to interact with incubatees and become an incubatee oneself. While all this helps create an entrepreneurial mindset, there is no expectation that students would turn entrepreneurs right after B-school. However, over a 5-10-year time frame, possibly after gathering experience in medium to large enterprises, a significant percentage turn entrepreneurs.

Why do top Indian B-schools restrict the class size to 60 or 120 when the global average is much larger? Also, why should India allow sub-par B-schools to exist?
This is not correct. The early IIMs have class sizes of 400-plus. Many of the non-IIM business schools also have larger class sizes. The new IIMs could be having class sizes of 60 or 120 but only as part of their start-up transition. Many university-based programmes could have such class sizes, due to faculty recruitment constraints.

We should not allow sub-par B-schools to exist. Ideally, the market should take care of this both in terms of students seeking such programmes and employers seeking students from such programmes.

Rating agencies can also play a role in providing greater visibility to quality, or, for that matter, lack of quality.

Who do Indian B-school faculty members not publish as frequently as their international peers?
Faculty in the top B-schools are publishing research papers with an increasing frequency. However, there are fundamental issues. First, our top B-schools are standalone institutions and not part of a larger university ecosystem. Second, impact on practice is important, especially in our country. This may not always lead to higher numbers of published output.

Why do Indian B-schools not tailor their curriculum to meet local needs? Why is there always a ‘one size fits all’ approach?
This is an important issue. However, to be fair to the curriculum design, the core concepts in managerial analytical and design thinking are well established. Hence, the core curriculum is really not expected to differ across B-schools. There is room to address local needs, through electives and in context-specific case studies.  

What more should Indian B-schools do to create leaders, and not just followers?
In my view, the top B-schools in India do create leaders. It is a question of how the curriculum is delivered in terms of providing a holistic and transformational experience. The faculty are the key resources for this. Institutions should invest in faculty development.  

The IIM Bill, deemed university status and so on -- what additional institutional support do B-schools need to create a robust framework?
I would put a strong emphasis on faculty recruitment and development, and systems and processes for quality delivery.

How different are women B-school graduates from their male counterparts, as their numbers remain abysmally low?
Not really. I believe the share of women is increasing across the entire B-school spectrum. In the top schools, the share is close to 30 per cent which is the share of those who take the CAT. The larger question is more socio-cultural, where families and communities need to encourage women to seek such opportunities.