Management education needs to move faster: Prof Bharat Bhasker of IIMA

IIMA leads BT-MDRA’s 26th annual ranking of India’s Best B-Schools, reaffirming its status as the country’s premier management institution. For its Director, Bharat Bhasker, the real story is the race to keep management education relevant amid tectonic shifts in technology and global business. Edited excerpts from an interview with BT:

Q: How would you describe the state of management education in India?

A: Our management education ecosystem is in good shape, but the kind of changes that happen are quite drastic in nature. Technologies in AI, blockchain, robotics and autonomous systems will immensely impact workplaces. Management education has to start reflecting on what's going on in the real workplace right now, because after all, you are creating leaders of the future.

The challenge remains how fast we can switch from the current curriculum to the new one, which will reflect and incorporate the dynamically changing reality. Graduates must also be prepared for uncertainty in world trade practices and shifting supply chains.

Our management schools need to start accelerating adaptation forthwith. We're in good shape, trying to keep pace with the technology that's changing over time, but the pace needs to be accelerated if we are going to remain relevant.

Q: IIMA's syllabus sees a sea change. What has changed?

A: Our curriculum is designed to turn graduates into business leaders and reflects industry realities. A major mechanism is the case study method, which truly reflects real scenarios; adopting the latest cases brings industry reflection right into the classroom.

More importantly, often technology moves quicker than the industry does. We prepare our students to be business leaders who drive forward the use of technology in the industry.

During the past year, we have introduced technology-oriented courses in AI in human resources, AI-driven fintech, and technology-driven global supply chain management.

These are all shifts we're integrating, and our students are being prepared to absorb all that information and be ready for the future business environment. Sometimes industry leads us; sometimes we lead industry by preparing students who will take new technologies into organisations.

Q: Overall, would you say Indian management education is poised well for the transition underway?

A: There are layers in the system. The top institutes are preparing well and transforming fast. Others are lagging and would take longer to adapt. We are well-positioned, but the transition needs to include the entire ecosystem. Top institutes must help bring others along so the broader economy benefits, not only high-end industry.

Q: What is your sense of job placements this year, and how can industry and academia respond to any dips?

A: Industry engagement should not just be about the placements; it's an outcome. The engagement has to be at a transformation stage where the understanding of the current industry practices needs to be there. That is why our core curriculum is taught by faculty and the electives by numerous industry practitioners.

Faculty must stay current with respect to practice. Research is a key driver of knowledge, but faculty also must know how new technologies impact organisations. We interact significantly with industry through our executive education and consulting activities. In consulting, faculty work closely with companies, understand their problems and develop solutions—thus developing practical insight on applying the theory.

In executive education, I don't think industry people come to learn from us. We do impart education to them, but we learn a lot from industry people as well because in interactive discussions in classrooms, they bring out the nuances of what is happening in the industry.

Industry engagement thus needs to be holistic-from teaching to consulting to executive education-with the knowledge flowing back into the curriculum. If there is integration of the institute with industry in a comprehensive manner, then placements as an outcome will occur automatically.

Oftentimes, technology evolves faster than the industry does. We prepare our students to be business leaders that lead the industry in adopting the technology and creating change. We've introduced courses like AI in human resources.

Q: What will the management classroom of the future look like?

A: Even prior to Covid, technology made blended and online classrooms feasible. The pandemic accelerated the adoption. Blended learning will grow for two reasons.

First, any growing economy cannot depend solely on fresh graduate training, but people already in the industry also need to be trained for newer technologies, newer management practices, and transition from technical to managerial roles. Second, working with mid- and senior-management professionals has always been critical, and technology now removes many of the physical-meeting constraints. Increasingly, Executive Education uses hybrid formats where leaders spend some time on campus and learn the rest while working.

Second, blended learning is a force multiplier. A leap from a $5-trillion to a $30-trillion economy would need a many-fold increase in managerial capacity. This scale cannot be met by residential programmes alone.

That is why we launched the Blended Post Graduate Programme in Management  - a blended MBA-equivalent programme for working professionals, which is now in its second batch.

We are also launching an MBA in Business Analytics and AI because, increasingly, the modern manager needs to be tech-savvy.

Blended learning is indispensable to achieve the scale and leadership needs of India.

Q: What kind of student is ideally suited for IIM Ahmedabad? Which profile, background, skills, and work experience is most relevant?

A: Ideal work experience is easier to define: a couple of years in industry, so that they understand organisational dynamics. Fresh graduates generally struggle with this.

Graduates of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) are welcome; they have proven ability, but the ideal student is not limited to IIT. Today, you don't need to go into the depths of a technological development. Today, technology is accessible; what matters is one's ability to apply it.

Our motto Vidya Viniyoga Vikasa means development through the application of knowledge. The ideal student has an open mindset, willing to engage with technology and apply knowledge for development. Students may come from commerce, science, or an arts background.

Q: Does the Common Admission Test (CAT) examination help you select such students?

A: Only to an extent. The exam acts as a filter. After shortlisting, the mindset is assessed through interviews, group discussions, and case study writing. CAT tests analytical and verbal abilities; basically, the key requirement for solving business problems is an analytical mindset.

Blended learning is a force multiplier. A leap to a $30-trillion economy would need a many-fold increase in managerial capacity. Residential programmes alone cannot meet this scale.

Q: How do you view the multiple-campus model now that IIMA has a Dubai campus?

A: India has to show its capabilities and lead the Global South; our philosophy lays emphasis on collective development.

When the Global South grows, India grows. Dubai fits into a deliberate strategy: enabling the Global South to benefit from our capabilities while strengthening India through shared education and future trade. Multi-country campuses allow us to understand regional business contexts, write case studies from those markets, and bring that learning back to India. We aim to prepare leaders for global business, not only in India. Q: How do you look at the entry of foreign universities in India under the new education policy? A: I welcome them. India's education capacity cannot match the scale of growth we envision. We require many more engineering and management graduates than Indian institutions can supply. Foreign universities increase the pool and help train the talent for the new economy. Considering the deficiency of quality seats, many students go abroad for studies. If foreign universities operate here, then students get similar education in lesser cost, the currency stays within India, and the parents benefit. But quality must match that of the parent campus. Regulators must ensure only strong institutions and faculty enter. If quality is maintained, foreign universities are a win-win.