Redefining Management Education – primeconsultinggroup

This book is created as a recorded eye-opener to sensitise aspirants, students, freshers, executives, employers, academicians and even institutions on the huge void to be closed between ‘Management’ as taught under MBA programs (classroom learning) and real world practice of ‘Management’. It is the creation of an Engineer & PhD in Management from a tier 1 IIM (Indian Institute of Management) with four decades plus diverse experience in consulting, research, academics, independent working and authoring. Objective of this book is not to educate the reader on any advanced management tool, technique, technology or process in any ‘management’ area, function or domain; but to highlight the need for ‘recognition of the interplay / integrated nature of standalone ‘management’ disciplines in practice, gain insight into cross-discipline influences and ‘contextual considerations’ that drive real world practice of management. ‘Management’ learnt in classrooms unwittingly carries a message that real world of Management practice replicates the ideal conditions / discipline / area approach to handle management problems. Many elements of consideration in real world rarely find explicit space in formal ‘management’ classrooms, are beyond the ‘standalone’ pigeon holes of formally taught disciplines / tools of ‘management’ such as finance, OR, statistics, economics, mathematics or even digitally driven tools of analysis; that are considered progressive, logical, rational and statistically valid and amenable to mechanical application. Reality is far from it.

Why this book, why redefine management education (page3)

Drivers of response to a situation leading to a decision are complex, subtle, unknown, interconnected and dynamic. They encompass (subtle) individual factors, scarcely documented but significant; even to situations that have no element of ‘Management’ as taught under formal management education. Individual ‘traits / skills / knowledge’ are acquired from own experience in subtle ways, retained in memory as learnings; that influence response to situations one encounters. Individual traits encompass: the unique mental map, recognition / assessment of the situation in ways less articulated; individual risk appetite / tolerance to ambiguity, stakes, daring to experiment and preparedness to take the ‘next step’ … based on ones prior experience and learning from it; that shape outcomes to responses … ‘Management’ is not ‘mathematics’ that lends itself to ‘one right way’ / digitally pre-programmed / AI driven solutions approach. Expectation of replay of outcome in its holistic sense from past experience turns out to be an illusion, many times. We cannot draw a one to one correlation between past experience and the present one to be, as there is no previous case that 100% replicate / a mirror image of the present context, in its subtlety, entirety and context. ‘Judgment’ that goes into decision making is a function of knowledge plus individual trait and assessment, learnings from memory recall from near comparable prior experience. No two individuals / situations have same traits / context / experience / ability to deal with the outcome, from a decision or action, in the same way. Teachings and learnings are only guidelines, and how one puts the complex set of knowledge in ‘perspective’, in real world context, is unique and dynamic.

The dynamic, contextual, amorphous, complex, interdependent and holistic nature of demand on ‘Management’ are exposed under discussion topics such as formal management education, systems approach to management, know your enemy within – bridging knowledge and practice, knowing the rules and learning the ropes, MBA to Manager – the transition dilemma, employability, recent addition to complexity ‘Role of AI Chatgpt in management education’…. Attempt is made to carve a holistic perspective to the subject, based on decades of real world experience in consulting to diversity of clients, academics across geographies; and authoring.

MBA programs tend to focus on theory and analysis of management / economic / business problems, situations and decisions, tools to apply the theory / concepts, technology to drive the tools; perceived as stand-alone elements in a specific problem area or domain. What is inadvertently missing is the ‘contextual / human’ element that looks at cross functional interplay and beyond’ in driving actions from analysis’ outcomes. Analytical results rarely lead to formula driven decisions and actions. Analysis’ outcomes are used by the complex human mind to drive decisions and actions in a ‘situation’ with complex dynamic considerations. This gap in Management education can only be bridged by repeated exposure to real world scenarios; from problem statement to analysis, understanding, decisions, actions and outcome; and learning from the ‘chain of events’ when the loop gets closed. These learnings are subtle and can rarely be subject of a programmed treatment. This book is an attempt to bring this undefined / less articulated element of complexity, interdependency and human role (intelligence / traits) beyond concepts, tools, techniques and analysis, driving actions and outcomes.

Many successful individuals (business men / managers / administrators / policy makers / even rulers) don’t necessarily adorn a ‘Management’ degree that has taken them where they are. These are leaders who carry qualities of ‘leadership’ that are beyond knowledge of management tools / techniques / technology, individual traits to understand, assess, evaluate and drive decisions, using resources (knowledge, men, material, tools … ) in an orchestrated manner, to drive and deliver outcomes.

Digital tools and products have added one more dimension to the complexity (aid?) of considerations to the task of ‘Management’ and Management Education. The discussion here is a reflection of the need to holistically revisit ‘Management Education’: definition, objective, process, outcome, caveats and prescriptions, even in the ever evolving larger context of AI / Technology driven space too and not to belittle the value of formal education.

The book offers a practical, holistic, humane, real world, non intimidatory approach and exposure to practice of Management to freshers and working professionals tasked with new responsibilities or opportunities in their career. The book is expected to help in coming to terms with reality and not feeling belittled or intimidated when confronted with situations, as never before. The book is meant to be a peace time reading to aid in preparing for the unexpected … mimicking a war zone and develop maturity in handling shocks or surprises. Highly recommended for students, those entering the field, practicing managers, and even management institutions and academicians to use as a reference to sensitise students on the reality of the real world of management

Snippets from the book

Formal Management Education – Holism, Contextual Sensitivity, Temporal Relevance (page 6)

In an introductory lecture to freshers into the PGDM (later rechristened as MBA) program in one of the three Tier 1 IIMs in the 1980s, a well accomplished faculty member introduced the term ‘Management’ as ‘Planning, Organising, Monitoring & Controlling’ to the young, intelligent, aspiring ‘MBA’s as they were respectfully identified those days. The professor would have used this simplistic definition recognising the green horn nature of the new entrants, who have come through a highly competitive exam called ‘CAT’ expanded as the ‘Common Admission Test’; considered as defining one’s intellectual class. I believe he was using this simplistic definition, fully recognising; this is at best a juvenile, oversimplified, convenient, mechanistic, recallable, communicable, appealing and myopic version of what ‘Management’ in real world is. Because, he realised, he also needs to be appealing to the elite crowd of brilliant youngsters, as in IIMs, even in those days, student feedback and number of students opting for ‘your’ elective course, were significant considerations in faculty evaluation and even continuance in tenure. So the professor had to market himself through his academic (professional) conduct, which I believe is more valid even today.

Sometimes, value attached to customer (student) feedback gets carried too far, leading to short term convenience approach to our well-meaning actions and conduct; misplaced inferences and disastrous consequences; never visualised from an otherwise innocuous logical accepted practice. Importance attached to feedback as an instrument for evaluation, many-a-time leads one to adopt sub-optimum approach to decisions and actions, to achieve self-centred short term goals.

Life Cycle of Business of Ideas (page 19)

Management Concepts, Theories and Models go through a life cycle: conception, birth, infancy, growth, maturity, demise or reinventions; similar to tangible products, living organisms and organisations.

Management concepts change their identity, character, gain maturity or are rechristened to be sold as fresh ideas, to draw attention and to serve interests of proponents of these ideas.

On the other hand, tangible products may get annihilated at the end of their lifecycle, as happened to manual typewriters and Kodak cameras due to emergence of more efficient, feature rich, low-cost technology driven products, eliminating the market for legacy products.

Obsolescence of management concepts / software products is increasing at a fast pace largely due to the Work in Process (WIP) nature of the ideas / intellectual products masked as final products and sold. This practice is forcing the consumer to pay for and use beta (trial) versions of intellectual products, masked as final products oblivious of their evolutionary nature. The half-life period of new ideas is shrinking, calling for caution in their evaluation, exuberance of acquisition and judicious use. One should exercise caution, apply independent mind in evaluation and use, and not be oversold to these ideas.

Systems Approach to Management (page38)

Underlying Principles of Systems Approach
(a)	Holistic view to problem solving
(b)	Appropriate problem solving methodology
(c)	Multi-dimensional perspective in understanding and analysing problems
(d)	Out-scoping the problem definition – stretching beyond the obvious
(e)	The belief that there can be multiple Solutions to reach the same objective
(f)	Context-specific appropriateness, while studying relationships
(g)	“Choice” based on available information; we believe that we may have to work with incomplete information
(h)	Recognising fallibility of the decision-maker
(i)	Addresses the problem situation from different angles
(j)	Recognizes interconnectedness of components to arrive at the problem boundary
(k)	Studies dynamic behaviour of the system, not restricted to only one instance
(l)	The approach possesses ability to represent complex system
(m)	Systematic but probabilistic method of analysis and synthesis

Bridging Knowledge and Practice (page 72)

An endeavour to bridge the void between academic standing and real world demands of Management professionals, the chapter exposes gaps in application of management theories in isolation. Intent is to sensitise students and practitioners on nurturing an open mind on continuous learning, challenging and application of knowledge with contextual sensitivity.

Formal educational system fails to address critical elements essential to effectively put into practice, knowledge acquired from an undergraduate /graduate program. Gaps between formal education and real world practice are filled by a mentor / coach, on the job, who interprets situations in the context of theories, an attempt to demystify the role of complementary factors in determining success. Plurality and ambiguity are reality, not to be despised.

Complimentary supporting skills/ traits are even more significant than formal knowledge in determining one’s growth / performance trajectory. Significance of these traits in determining ones trajectory cuts across one’s career / professional / entrepreneurial choice / path. Complimentary traits are more fundamental to progress than professional / academic achievement in isolation.

Knowing the Rules and Learning the Ropes (page 92)

Smartness / effectiveness in management or doing business is synonymous with the ability to derive desired outcomes on the ground under a host of constraints or boundaries, that reflects on ones’ enterprise, innovation, and efficiency. The ease with which one can comply with rules and regulations to realise one’s business objective is reflected in the rating on ‘Ease of Doing Business’ (EDB) of different geographies. Such rankings have been arrived at by international bodies / rating agencies as a guide for potential cross border entrepreneurs or investors. This is arrived at typically on the basis of ten parameters of Starting a Business: Dealing with Construction Permits, Getting Electricity, Registering Property, Getting Credit, Protecting Minority Investors, Paying Taxes, Trading Across Borders, Enforcing Contracts and Resolving Insolvency (http://www.doingbusiness.org/rankings) … Despite low rating on ‘EDB’, investors / entrepreneurs flock to geographies driven by its potential for business, assessed across multiple parameters: population, demography, aspiration, spending power, competition, scarcity of goods and services, gap to be filled, export opportunity, natural resources endowment, locational advantages, economic policies, political structure … Disconnect between politics / policies/ bureaucracy and business is inherent across geographies on account of divergence of interests, objectives, priorities, preferences and agenda across the diversity of stakeholders.

Management Course Content, Delivery and Approach (page 117)

Quality, content and approach of MBA programs to make the MBA graduates relevant to current and emerging needs of business and society, is more critical than adding new programs. Business imperatives and market dynamics may drive one to act, to appear to be superficially progressive. Grades / marks (internal and external) awarded should be realistic, reflect true competency of the candidate, and institutions should refrain from competing among themselves in awarding unrealistic internal grades, to enable their candidates to emerge toppers in the university. This would need self-regulation, setting high moral / academic standards and professional integrity, among teaching professionals. The day is not far when candidates will be asked who has given the grades and certificates, than what grades they have got. Such an unfortunate scenario would reflect falling credibility of the grades as well as the institutions that offer them. This is already visible in candidates from industry acknowledged institutions, ranking higher in placement: rewards as well as career growth

Knowledge Practice Conundrum (page 126)

MBA programs and their curricula presuppose capitalistic / free market economy of the west as the overarching theme in which businesses operate. This is because formalisation of ‘Management’ as a subject of study in universities and courses being offered, originated in the west, and hence western paradigms and practices became the foundation for formal training and courses in ‘Management’, offered even in non-western geographies. Hence Management paradigms and theories became based on premises of operating in a free market competitive environment to maximise private gains. But many economies are not operating in a pure free market environment; for instance, India, an emerging transitional economy with imperfections of a free market. Theories evolved for free market environment many times are misfits for application in a non-free market economy. Even at Global level, transactions are driven by a host of considerations: political, military strategy, control, beyond free market economics. It is expected that MBA graduates apply their knowledge and skills with care, diligence and application of mind when working in ecosystems that are distortions (imperfections) of a ‘free market’.

Employability (page 134)

Employability is visualised in one or many of the below statements

Assessment by a potential employer of a potential employee (candidate) of his/her suitability for purpose (accomplish specific tasks in the organization)
Perceived suitability for employment of a potential candidate by prospective employer
Possessing a set of attributes, skills, knowledge that labour market participants should possess to be effective in the workplace – to benefit themselves, employer and the economy
Carrying skills that contribute to individual effectiveness and successful participation in the work place; soft skills, generic skills, enabling skills or key competencies
Measured on multiple parameters: technical competency, individual traits that determine behaviour in different situations
Assessed ‘Suitability’ for employment of a fresher, new recruit for lateral entry or role change / elevation of an existing employee, in the same organization
A trait that can be enhanced through skill building, self-awareness, practice
Capability to gain initial employment, maintain employment and obtain new employment, if required
How does one fit into the War-For-Talent (WFT) space driven by competition for innovation, knowledge and ideas
Measure of potential individual contribution.
An individual trait: struggle for success, drives action to enhance employability
Key drivers of employability: quality, productivity, outcome driven not process driven

Management (of) Education in the AI (Tech) Context (page 168)

Recent times have seen discussions, concerns and way-out / counter measures surfacing in digital / social media, on the enhanced scope for plagiarism, masking of real source of ideas and content, in academic assignments, due to the springing up of AI tools such as ChatGPT and more; and their impact on the quality of output from educational courses, integrity of evaluation process, fairness to participants et al. Below is a discussion on the likely impact and how one can / should handle the evolution / impact of technology and tools; mind-sets of academic community (time for change), need to adopt an open, practical and positive approach to handle technological and consequential societal evolution. The discussion is multi-dimensional. More will surface as time passes and more dimensions of the evolution surface.

ChatGPT obstructs insightful learning of concepts as reflected in academic excellence as students tend to rely on it to generate quick popular answers without insightful engagement in critical thinking leading to intellectual involvement and application of mind into the subject of study and originality in problem-solving. By copy-pasting or minor tweaking of the content received through AI / ChatGpt, they miss out on the opportunity and need to truly understand, reflect on the subject matter and gain a deeper knowledge of the topic. This can result in a lack of gaining original thinking and problem solving skills and the inability to apply any ‘knowledge gained’ in real-world situations. Mechanically using ChatGPT or AI tool to copy and paste information is academic dishonesty with potential serious consequences in terms of grades and future career / learning opportunities. To ensure academic excellence, students should use technology as a tool to aid in their learning and research, and not rely on it as the sole source of information. In fact students should understand and internalise the pluses and negatives of application of technology to enhance the quality of their holistic understanding, solutions options and aid in original decision making

Learnings from Experience – Beyond Classrooms (page 176)

Our response to situations and the thought process driving our reactions are influenced by our emotional traits and state: beliefs, mind-sets, perceptions, aggressiveness, action orientation; balancing our need for achievement and the fear of failure (Emotional Competency). Personality traits are intrinsic differences that remain stable throughout most of our life. They are the constant aspects of our individuality (Zimbardo et al 2003). These affective elements tend to be more decisive than cognitive knowledge in determining our priorities, response to situations and resoluteness in working towards goal achievement.

Every individual, during his journey, must have been confronted with questions like: Why are some people successful and others not? Why do some fly high, while others apparently similar don’t? How much of one’s success can be attributed to one’s education, pedigree, parental support, family / social background and birth with a silver spoon in the mouth? How do we explain reality defying perceptions on drivers of success? Is there a success formula, or is our understanding skewed or perceptions misplaced? The American-English form of the trait structure identifies five personality factors as below (Emotional Competency).

Reality Check for MBA Freshers (page 191)

There is no real level playing field (as clamored for by industry associations). Every field is uneven, you need to take advantage of the uneven terrain and compete. Create your own USP (Porter 1990, Golf). Competitive advantages are many times contextual and unique to individuals and organizations.
Managers are designated, but leaders emerge. Leadership is beyond management; leaders stand up to their conviction, beliefs and carry others; managers manage others. A manager maintains while a leader creates. Organisations look for leaders (Murphy 2006, Peters 1985, Reeves 1998, Prahlad 2006)
Wisdom is good learning from bad experience; inexplicable; may appear illogical, defensive, and not youthful; but are time-tested, and yield long term value. Intuition and instinct are wisdom in action