VIEW FROM THE TOP SHELF

AT 64, IIM-A IS NOW LOOKING AT DISRUPTIVE FRONTIERS SUCH AS AI, AS WELL AS BECOMING THE LEADING B-SCHOOL IN THE GLOBAL SOUTH

- Jumana Shah

THE INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT, AHMEDABAD, owes its continued excellence to academic rigour, constant innovation, deep industry engagement, and a unique research and case-study driven pedagogy. In 1961, IIM-A was established to groom future entrepreneurs and management leaders. Sixty-four years later, the institution remains fully focussed on keeping the industry and management leaders future ready.

IIM-A director Prof. Bharat Bhasker attributes the institute's record of excellence to three things-an unparalleled faculty development policy that puts a premium on intellectual capital, cutting-edge research and innovation, and industry interactions.

"Our faculty development policy is one of our biggest strengths. We invest significant resources to ensure they remain active researchers and stay abreast of emerging ideas," he says.

A key component of this is the school's longstanding case-teaching methodology, which requires faculty to engage closely with industry. "To write cases, you have to be going to the industry, understanding what they are doing, extracting critical business scenarios," the director explains. This regular dialogue does more than enrich teaching material: it allows faculty to spot early trends, understand organisational shifts and translate those insights for the classroom. As a result, students encounter not only theoretical frameworks but also the latest developments shaping corporate decisionmaking. IIM-A also has 10-plus research centres through which faculty and doctorate students connect extensively with diverse industry and public sector organisations.