The weather in Ahmedabad was playing the perfect host on December 10, 2011. It was the last day of the golden jubilee celebrations of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, the best business school in the country. The Louis Kahn Plaza was full with professors and alumni who had come from all over the world, who after a two-day tango with nostalgia and foxtrot with the future, were looking for relief. That’s when the headline act of the evening appeared in a metallic blue salwar kameez, the first strains of Raga Bhoopali (Mohanam) accompanying her to the stage. “I never thought I would return one day here in this way—to sing for you,” she said.
As Trilochan Sastry, professor, IIM-B, says, “The biggest difference between IIMs and foreign B-Schools is that in the US they are competing for students, whereas in India we are competing for faculty. Government is not a challenge in getting this talent, neither are salaries. It is how you manage the whole process of recruitment. You have to respond very quickly to these applicants because if you delay things, they get picked up very fast. The other is, what kind of academic environment are you willing to provide? Having said that, we do need to improve faculty salaries.”
Remember, IIM-A even today can take in only 0.5 percent of the people that want admission into its hallowed portal. “Assuming that 10 percent of those taking the test are as bright as those IIM-A takes, many who don’t get in prefer to work for a few years and then seek admission in an ISB or other global schools,” says Bakul Dholakia, former director, IIM-A, who is currently the director of Adani Institute of Infrastructure Management. It was during his tenure that IIM launched the one-year PGPX programme, perhaps the one successful “new product” to come from IIM in the last 20 years.
THE FUTURE IS ALUMNI
This, of course, challenges the current culture of IIM-A. Changing that culture will not be easy. Because the faculty have came up in a certain way and are good at teaching. So, they will continue to teach. “One can argue that a new set of research-oriented, young professors can be brought in, but who will select them? It’s the existing faculty, who tend to lean towards teaching than towards research. And as a result, you end up getting younger professors too, who are oriented towards teaching,” says a former IIM-A professor.
(This story appears in the 14 September, 2012 issue of Forbes India. To visit our Archives, click here.)
Everybody saw many CEO\'s from IIMA., but are there any CEO\'s from ISB????
on Sep 20, 2012ISB is only 10 year old dude..How can you expect Many CEOs out of it, they are still growing in their orgs... IIMs are 50 year old institutes hence so many CEOs. Comparison on this front is very Unfair. Anyways..There are many ventures started by ISB alumns and the CEO of India Branch of Groupon Ankur is an ISB alum
on Oct 6, 2012I think FMS , Delhi is good In marginal analysis as it is funded by government. After infrastructure woes are clear in next 1-2 year.It will certaily gain traction against b-schools such as HBS, wharton etc.
on Sep 13, 2012Dear sir, first of all - my compliments on a well researched article. Also brickbats on the tenor of the article - it reminds me of the articles about India\'s poor, slums etc - it focuses only on the dark sides. As an alumni, I am aware and I\'m sure, so are IIMA board, director and faculty of the issues you have highlighted. However, the school faces indirect government interference, and also seems to want to work with the government, and not despite it. Secondly, the quality education and culture at IIMA is much bettter than the contenders you speak of. The challenges before such a institution are not solved through simplistic means as - lets do more research, hire more faculty and take in more students - voila - all will be well - it has to be much more, and do much more. Hope you will appreciate it.
on Sep 11, 2012Just to add (pun intended) - the author seems to want to push IIMA to get into the business of education, whereas IIMA has been all about education of business - that it has succeeded is revealed by your own statistic of 62% of CEO's in India being from the institute. Beat that if you can. Though I completely agree that IIMA should re-invent itself in the face of new realities of India, I dont believe we should convert this hallowed institution into a shop selling education. While praising the US model of education has become the norm, since it has thrown up many highly-regarded univs, please also acknowledge the dark side - how their alumni have and continue to bring shame to their companies and their country through unethical pursuit of market beating profits (and bonuses?). As far as I know, IIMA alumni (mostly) have an amazingly clean track record and are respected. Touche'
on Sep 11, 2012top class piece. enjoyed, benefitted, shared. thank you!
on Sep 11, 2012