Prof. Srikant M. Datar
Arthur Lowes Dickinson Professor of Accounting, Harvard Business School
29th August, 2011
" Rethinking the MBA "
Venue: IFIM Auditorium
 

“Indian B-schools have huge opportunity ahead of them. They should not ape the west but focus on the unique problems and opportunities that Indian society is facing” - Dr. Srikant M. Datar, Harvard Business School Boston It is both honor and privilege to welcome a role model of note, a man of distinction- Dr. Srikant Datar, said the IFIM B-school director Prof. B. P. Pethiya in his welcome speech and invited Dr. Datar to address the young budding managers and faculties of IFIM B- School . While a lot has been talked about the challenges facing Indian MBA sector, Harvard Business School faculty Dr. Srikant M Datar told the young managers at IFIM B-school, Bangalore that Indian B-schools can make a global impact, if they focus on the unique Indian problems and opportunities. Dr. Datar said, “Indian B-schools have huge opportunity ahead of them. They should not ape the west but focus on the unique problems and opportunities that Indian society is facing and should research about how Indian B- schools should think and what they should do to explore the competencies required by MBA students and the need to Rebalancing and thinking creatively and innovatively as one of the key area of their research in Indian Management Education context followed by his strong views on how the leadership, Adaptability, learning attitude and Ethical behavior skills matter to people at different levels to handle the diversity. These are complex problems, which need local answers. Indian B-schools should focus on them and contribute to solutions for these problems.” Dr. Datar added, “If we do this well, Indian management education can create a global impact. Our research on these problems and solutions will be published in global journals, and that knowledge can be used by other countries facing similar challenges.   Dr. Datar spoke to the faculty and students of IFIM during his address at the Institute’s campus on August 29 2011. Dr. Datar said, “The core of the conclusion of his recent book ‘Rethinking the MBA’, is that business schools need to do two things: reassess the frameworks and theories that they teach (the ‘knowing’ component), while at the same time rebalancing their curricula so that more attention is paid to developing the skills, capabilities, and techniques that lie at the heart of the practice of management (the ‘doing’ component). And they also need to rethink the values, attitudes, and beliefs that form managers’ world views and professional identities (the ‘being’ component).” Dr. Datar said that while MBA programs have traditionally focused on ‘Knowing’ aspects, rebalancing the MBA education towards “doing” and “being” aims to reduce the knowing-doing gap that results from these deficiencies in skills, attitudes, and beliefs. Stressing on the need for focus on ‘Being’ and ‘Doing’ skills, Dr. Datar said, “The ‘being’ skills are important to managers as they work with and through others to achieve their organizations’ goals. To inspire and influence others over sustained periods requires careful reflection and introspection about one’s strengths and weaknesses, values and attitudes, and the impact of one’s actions on others. Without ‘doing’ skills, knowledge is of little value. Without ‘being’ skills, it is often hard to act ethically or professionally.” Dr. Datar emphasized that their research has identified many gaps in the current MBA programs, many of them related to ‘doing’ and ‘being’ These gaps are in: Gaining a global perspective; Developing leadership skills; Honing integration skills; Understanding the role, responsibilities, and purpose of business; Recognizing organizational realities and the challenges of implementation; Thinking creatively and innovatively: Thinking critically and communicating clearly; and, Understanding the limits of models and markets. Dr. Datar said MBA programs should focus on these need gaps. Ending his talk on an optimistic note, post vote of thanks by Mr. Sanjay Padode, secretary, CDE, Dr. Datar said: “While MBA is facing these challenges, I believe that they are not insurmountable, and offer a number of suggestions for how they might best be overcome by individual and collective action.” About Dr. Srikant M. Datar - Dr. Datar is the Arthur Lowes Dickinson Professor of Accounting at Harvard University. A graduate with distinction from the University of Bombay, he received gold medals upon graduation from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmadabad, and the Institute of Cost and Works Accountants of India. A Chartered Accountant, he holds two masters degrees and a Ph.D. from Stanford University. Datar serves on the Board of Directors of Novartis AG, ICF International, KPIT Cummins Info Systems Ltd., and Stryker Corporation, and has worked with many corporations on consulting and field-based projects. He is a member of the American Accounting Association and the Institute of Management Accountants. About his book ‘Rethinking the MBA”: Business Education at a Crossroads’ published by Harvard Business Press has kick started the rethinking on the shape of MBA in future. In this book many pressing concerns come to light: Financial and consulting firms, which in the past hired the large majority of MBAs from top-ranked programs, now increasingly have in-house programs, which advance people just as quickly as B-School, in their view; More and more, recruiters have come to value the screening process top schools use to pick students, and now prefer to recruit straight from a school’s admission list; and, Deans, recruiters, and firms have come to feel that B-Schools are behind the curve on globalization, not giving students the kind of heightened cultural awareness and refined global outlook they need. Even with all the ostensible focus on leadership, stakeholders complain that MBAs often don’t really understand the practice of leadership or have sufficient awareness of their impact on others. Rich with examples and thoroughly researched, rethinking the MBA reveals why and how business schools must define a better pathway for the future.

Mr.Ramesh Padmanabhan
CEO, NSE-IT

Mr.Shailesh Chitre
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Mr.Anand Pachchhapur
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Mr.Ramesh Padmanabhan, CEO at NSE.IT has more than 20 years' experience in the Information Technology industry. He joined NSE.IT in May'2008 as CEO. Under his able leadership NSE.IT in a short span of 3 years has grown by over 300% both in terms of revenues and resources. He addressed IFIM Students on “Managing career” where he motivated and inspired them by sharing his own experiences.

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