The Role Of Management Education

Published Date: 02 Nov 2017

-Dr. Harvinder Soni

Professor, Pacific Business School

Udaipur

In the current socio-economic environment the problem being confronted by employers is not that of dearth of manpower but the dearth of quality manpower. As far as employment is concerned ups & downs in the economy of India as well as foreign nations have an impact on the job opportunities available in the country. The predicted growth rate for the year 2013 is 7.9% which shows the slow development of the economy. The slowdown has been contributed by the fluctuating economy of US & European countries which are not allowing the Indian economy to grow but the strength of Indian factors is still keeping it high.

In the year 2013, a similar situation is supposedly being predicted, although employment opportunities will slightly be on the positive side. Infrastructure , manufacturing , IT ITES based industries are supposedly going to face a slide but the growth in FMCG, pharmaceuticals & health, financial services & retail sector ,will somewhat keep the overall economy on the positive side . These data suggest that job scenario in India is probably going to be good, if not better because the growth rate is not going to be sky high.

With the employment trends looking optimistic, the question arises that whether, with the opening of so many job opportunities, is the present workforce actually employable. Finding workers who have employability or job readiness skills that enable them to adapt to the job requirements and work environment is a real problem. Employability skills are generic in nature rather than job specific and cut across all industry types, business sizes and job levels from the entry level worker to the senior-most position. Of course, every employer looks for a specific set of skills from job seekers that match the skills necessary to perform a particular job. But beyond these job specific technical skills certain skills are nearly universally sought by employers.

So, what are these critical skills that employers are looking for period for maintaining a qualified workforce? And how management education can develop these skills in the students?

Communication

Communication is central to all work practices and there are almost no units of competency which do not require at least some aspects of communication. It includes speaking, listening and reading, writing, creating documents, interpretation of documentation. Information Communication Technology command over language and ability to work with numbers and understand mathematical concepts are the skills which underpin an individual’s ability to communicate.

Some of the learning activities undertaken by management experts and B-schools to harness the communication skills of students include practice in preparing and presenting written and verbal reports, role-play, simulation, demonstrations, group activities developing ability to communicate and respond to internal/external clients and customers.

Analytical/Research & Problem Solving Skills

These relate to the ability of a person to assess a situation, seek multiple perspectives, gather more information if required and identify key issues that need to be addressed. Problem solving at its complex levels can include processes to identify problems for e.g. risk management, quality maintenance, meeting contingency situations, using trouble shooting equipment, resource allocation continuous improvement processes etc.

Case studies, simulation, investigative projects and research, training in using problem solving tools and techniques, decision making activities, in basket exercises used in management education seek to foster the analytical and problem solving skills.

Creativity, Initiative & Enterprise

An innovative work culture is what makes organisations successful and competitive in the global market. For individual employees this requires the ability to reflect on one’s own practices for improvement, demonstrating leadership skills in implementing change, adapting to new situations, sharing ideas with all other members of organisation to improve work practices and opportunities for growth of the organisation.

Management students are enabled to develop these skills through brainstorming sessions, simulation activities for innovation and creative practices and solutions and developing adaptability in then for adjusting in new situations and imparting knowledge to them about management of change.

Leadership

Leadership is the ability to take charge of situation and manage and motivate the co-workers for the accomplishment of organizational goals. Leadership skills are the most sought skills by organizations at all levels. It is said that leadership starts at the top. This in often true of course, but it does not remain there. Leaders can also be found at the bottom of an organization and at just about every place in between. Indeed management experts at Wharton and Mc Kinsey say that leadership can be found and practiced at all levels of an organization.

Leadership skills can be developed by case studies of great leaders, analysis of their leadership styles and qualities, training in crises leadership, leadership development programmes.

Planning and Organizing

This has also been identified as one of the employability skill areas which benefit a lot from on the job experience. It reflects an individual’s ability to follow a proactive approach towards work and achievement of goals and tasks and scheduling of tasks. It also requires the ability to meet the timelines and deadlines. Project management skills together with strategy formulation and resource allocation skills are the higher order employability skills necessitated in the present economic scenario.

Goal setting activities and scheduling tasks, planning and organizing events, developing action plans, time management activities, data collecting and analyzing information undertaking live projects in companies, on-the-job training are a regular phenomena in management education. The planning and organizing skills required for higher level jobs are henceforth polished and the job-seekers feel confident in meeting the challenges of higher level jobs.

Team Work

Increasing complexity and diversity of products and services offered, structural changes, use of outsourced providers multi-skilling, growing workplace flexible necessitates increased teamwork. In fact self managed team, cross-functional, teams project teams have become an inevitable part of modern organisation. Working in team requires working with people of varied age, gender, race, religion, personalities, attitudes and perceptions. Building positive team dynamics, conflict management skills, understanding one’s relationship and accountability to other team members, supporting team members are vital skills demanded by employers in the present context.

By assigning team or group projects, organizing group discussions, forming committees, syndicates, communities of practices, interactive activities workplace team management, institutes can enhance the capabilities of individuals to work in teams to meet the corporate expectations.

Self Management

Individuals should be able to manage their own selves and take the responsibility of their performance. A person should have clarity about one’s priorities and the ability to critically review one’s strengths and weakness. This includes assessing and evaluating one’s own performance to identify areas for improvement. Eliciting feedback from peers, subordinate and superiors and seeking out suitable development opportunities contribute to employee growth and performance enhancement.

Management Education enables students to learn self management through learning and assessment strategies and activities like development of portfolios, work plans, time management skills and career planning exercises.

Learning

In today’s dynamic environment, learning is an ongoing process in the workplace and does not occur only when taking up a new role. Employees are expected to constantly improvise upon the work procedures and practice based upon their learning through day-to-day experiences together with formal and structured training and education.

Mentoring and coaching activities, self-evaluation tools use of reflective journals, log books, diaries, giving an opportunity to students to use skills in different contexts help create learning aptitude in the students.

Technology

Everyone needs to continue to develop proficiencies in new and emerging technologies to survive in the global competition. The inclusion of technology as an employability skill recognizes the importance that technology plays not just as a task skill but in a range of functions performed in the workplace. This employability skill requires knowledge of the traditional forms of information technology and the skills needed to work with other equipment and machinery.

Training in use of technology has become a prominent feature of management education. Use of internet, intranet, using ICT skills to complete activities, and training on industry relevant software, technology and equipment are some of the activities which can be undertaken to develop this critical employability skill.

In view of the necessity of becoming employable in the present tough job market, the role of management education in grooming the personality of job seekers and making them professionally competent cannot be undermined. Management education should strive to enable the students to seek the right kind of opportunities matching with their skills, aptitude and competency level, thereby empowering them to successfully face the formidable competition that awaits them in the global job market. By imparting value-based management education B- schools should not only prepare dynamic professionals in the true sense but is also serve the needs of the society the nation by developing integrity, excellence and citizenship in its students.