B-schools At The Crossroads

K.S.VENUGOPAL RAO, Director, ICFAI Business School (IBS), Hyderabad, observes that business schools must reimagine management education through agility, innovation and empathy to prepare future-ready leaders in a brittle, anxious, nonlinear and incomprehensible world

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BUSINESS SCHOOLS face unprecedented challenges in today's volatile environment. Experts describe this using the acronym BANI: brittle, anxious, nonlinear and incomprehensible. To survive, schools must navigate these challenges by resetting their approaches and moving from best to next practices.

B-schools must now offer flexibility through skilling, micro-credential courses and continuing education. The key question is how to groom future-ready managers. This requires a holistic approach aligned with industry needs, integrating digital fluency, systems thinking, design thinking, adaptive reasoning and decision-making under uncertainty. Graduates must also be trained in emotional and behavioural skills such as resilience, mindfulness and self-awareness. The focus should shift from 'what to learn' to 'how to learn', fostering lifelong learning and adaptability.

Students are also advised not to blindly pursue traditional degrees abroad. Instead, gaining relevant skills and industry exposure in India through micro-skilling programmes will enhance their global employability. Key skills include AI, digital transformation, sustainability, product management and platform operations.

High Cost and Placements