IF GDP means Gross Domestic Product then what does GDH mean?
“Gross Domestic Happiness,” said Prof S Chakraborty, director of Jaipuria Institute of Management (JIM) who had been associated with the IIM for 20 years.
Speaking on the issue of ‘Managing Management Schools’ on the concluding day of Association of Indian Management Schools (AIMS) at IIM-L, he brought some truths about management education out in the open.
“If you have a hammer in your hand everything would look like a nail,” he said and then went on to explain his point. “Are we bothered about country’s growth or are our B-schools bothered about the growth of the Corporate Inc more,” he asked. He then went on to twist another popular abbreviation to suit his point. MDG is Millennium Development Goals which if fulfilled can make India a developed nation by 2012. “But B-schools are more concerned about another MDG—Millionaire Development Goals,” he said.
Saying that B-schools were caught up in “classical dilemmas” in management he gave few interesting examples. First was ‘Means Vs End’. “When 100 per cent placements in elite B- schools make headlines, I often wonder whether this alone should make management schools managers happy.” And then he said, “I often used to ask my students at IIM whether they did well because of us or inspite of us ? I feel it was inspite of us rather than because of us!”
He then talked about the ‘short term vs long term’ approach. “The focus of B-schools invariably is on first job of the students. The first doesn’t last long as students switch organisations fast. And then the institutes lose track of its students. The pay packet that students get creates waves. Their job content analysis would reveal a different story,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}He then talked about the ‘short term vs long term’ approach. “The focus of B-schools invariably is on first job of the students. The first doesn’t last long as students switch organisations fast. And then the institutes lose track of its students. The pay packet that students get creates waves. Their job content analysis would reveal a different story,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}He said: “Management education requires people who can: Manage themselves, manage relationships, manage context, manage change and manage organizations. The overwhelming focus is actually on managing organisations.”
He then dealt at length about the faculty of premier B- schools and felt of the four declared activities—education, research, training and consultancy—research was the proverbial holy cow who everyone says is important. But, only few are really serious.” Quantity shown on paper regarding research output, he said, hides a dark fact: That quality tends to get compromised.
He then asked: “Was this the purpose for which we were set up? We need proper management teachers. And we would do well to remember that commercial organizations and institutes of higher education have opposite standards of excellence!” He added tongue-in-cheek: “Old people like us go for periodic health check ups. How do we check our professional health?”
He then exhorted the august gathering to find an answer to the complex issues. “I do not have an answer. Perhaps the august House may have. But, if you too do not have an answer who should we turn to?” He concluded in style: “Divine Guidance!”