Having conducted many in-company and cross company Management Development Programmes, what is that one thing you would like to implement in the current education system?
Given my experience in industry
as well as conducting training programmes for business executives, I find that
one dimension on which experience business executives score over fresh
management graduates is their level of confidence and willingness to react
quickly to observations or comments raised by other executives during a meeting
or conference. These essentially pertain to soft skills. My considered view is
that Indian students, irrespective of their academic performance and commitment,
trail well behind their counterparts in the developed countries of the Western
world in this regard.
My recommendation to policy
makers in Indian education would accordingly be to introduce soft skills
training for students right from primary school. These may be done through
diverse instruments such as compulsory participation in public speaking
competitions, participation in team activities, performing in plays and
cultural programmes, etc. As English is India’s business language, the standard
of English in schools also needs to be improved considerably.
You had a successful
corporate career in the past, what inspired you to join a B-School?
I realized at a certain point of
time that I would have to retire one day, sooner or later, from the corporate
world. I also, concurrently had sustained my interest in reading about
management subjects, particularly in the Marketing and Strategy areas from my
IIMC days. I realized that the right arena where I could leverage concurrently my
extensive industry experience, my management education, and my passion for
reading about management subjects, was in a B-school. Over the last about 14
years I have been working in B-schools, with twin teaching and administrative
responsibilities. I may add that working in a B-school also enables one to lead
a somewhat less (but not much less!) stressful life than in industry, and also
to set one’s own agenda-something that’s virtually impossible in the corporate
world. I can also, for all practical purposes, choose my retirement date and
age.
What does TSM do to
assist students with internships and future job placements?
Placements – both summer
internships and final placements are entirely the responsibility of the
Placement & Corporate Relations (P&CR) Dept. in TSM. We have a well-staffed
Placement Dept. in TSM, which is overseen by a faculty who’s designated
Chairperson – Placements, and driven by a full -time Head of Career Management
& Corporate Placements. The P&CR Dept. is tasked with finding adequate
employment opportunities for all our 2nd year students in their respective
areas of specialisation, and summer internship for all our 1st year
students in their areas of interest. It is also a fact that our placement records
have been improving every year on all key dimensions-number of corporate
recruiters, %age of students placed, average and highest salaries, and number
of offers per student.
What are the qualities
you look for in an applicant when shortlisting for your program?
We look for a combination of
factors, which may be broadly classified as hard and soft skills. The hard
skills consist of academic proficiency, intelligence and reasoning ability,
command of English, and general & business awareness. The soft areas
consist primarily of confidence, attitude, clarity of career plans, and
sensitivity to others. The hard skills are evaluated through the candidates’
(a) academic record; (b) test (CAT/XAT/MAT) score; and (c) performance in PI,
GD and WAT. The soft skills are assessed through the candidates’ performance in
PI and GD, and work experience, if applicable. Of course, we have pre-defined
weightages for each of these parameters.
How exciting is the student life at TSM?
Students have an exciting as well as demanding
time in TSM. In fact, they are spoilt for choices. In respect of campus life,
our students can decide which areas to focus upon, from a bouquet of options-joining
one or more of the students’ cells that drive various campus activities such as
placements, alumni relations, website management and digital marketing, and
international outreach; joining or driving any one of our 12 clubs that are
into diverse academic and non-academic activities such as marketing, finance,
operations, HRM, strategy, social welfare, films etc. Organising Yukti, which
is our annual inter B-school management fest; managing Delite-our students’
café-as a business venture; or simply playing one or more games for which
playgrounds re available. They are also encouraged to participate in management
and cultural fests organised by other B-schools and leading UG colleges. Those
who are interested in networking with their friends can avail of our 24*7 Wi-Fi
facility as well.