EDITOR'S DESK

Real-world Experience Matters!

The real challenge ahead is not the technology itself. It is what we use it for. So far; no country has the educational system which the knowledge society needs. No country has tackled the major demands…We can define—albeit in rough outline—the specification for schooling and for schools which might answer to the realities of the post-capitalist society; the knowledge society.

– Peter Drucker, the Business Education Guru

Young people are facing more difficulties than ever before in adapting themselves to the business world when they enter as employees. Business schools need to produce graduates who can integrate, adapt, manage global diversity, work in teams and bring out the best in others. Yet these are not the skills that most graduates are asked to master as part of their curriculum in most business schools. Therefore, business schools have to gear up to meet these challenges and must recognize that learning takes place far beyond the formal classroom.

Though classroom learning provides a vital foundation, some of the richest learning experiences occur elsewhere. The classroom lectures should focus beyond books and should address real-world issues like how to win real clients, how to deal with competition, etc. Then the courses will become closer to the real world. Besides, bringing practical focus into the curriculum, there is a need to have ‘a year-long on-the-job exposure’ for students after the first year of the MBA curriculum as well as mandatory association with industry projects.

Milton Goldberg, Educational Consultant at Temple University, rues that many schools continue to operate, “as if they were in 1956,” with classes ending by mid-afternoon and campuses closed for the summer months. This model no longer meets the industry needs. No one seems to question whether top schools teach the nuts and bolts of business. He suggests, “Learning must become a seamless process that encompasses the entire day and year, helping young people to develop a genuine range of skills and abilities.” Industry-academia alliance has become vital to meet ever-changing requirements of today’s world. Both of them should be involved in developing and implementing academic curriculums. This will help students understand real-world problems and, in turn, the community.

However, some of the leading business schools are preparing their graduates for broader career paths than ever before. They are reworking their curriculums with projects that compel students to take classroom concepts into the real world and are preparing students to adopt more out-of-the-box thinking/ways to deal with real-life problems corporates face and hone complex problem-solving skills. Apart from the real-world experience, they also need to emphasize on values and communication skills and, perhaps most important, the ability to formulate and implement a strategic plan.

The real benefit of an MBA program depends upon instilling a sense of self-discipline that leads to a better understanding of one’s inherent capabilities. An MBA program should show the path to successful career that otherwise wouldn’t be possible. It should help the aspirants to understand what it takes to be a leader and a visionary who can find success and opportunity where others have found failure and status quo.

- N Janardhan Rao