“Management education must move faster to stay relevant”

Bharat Bhasker, Director, IIM Ahmedabad, on why Indian management education must begin to echo what is happening at the workplace

- BY SIDDHARTH ZARABI

Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA) leads BT-MDRA’s 26th annual ranking of India’s Best B-Schools, reaffirming its status as the country’s premier management institution. For its Director, Bharat Bhasker, the real story is the race to keep management education relevant amid tectonic shifts in technology and global business. Edited excerpts from an interview with BT:

Q: How would you describe the state of management education in India?

A: Our management education ecosystem is in good shape, but the changes that are happening are quite drastic in nature. Technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, robotics and autonomous systems will significantly impact workplaces. Management education must immediately begin to echo what is happening in the actual workplace, because ultimately, you are creating leaders for the future.

A key challenge is how quickly we can transform the current curriculum into a new one, which incorporates and reflects the changing reality. We must also prepare graduates for uncertainty in global trade practices and shifting supply chains.

Our management schools must immediately accelerate adaptation. We are in good shape and are trying to keep pace with the changing technology over time, but the pace must be accelerated to remain relevant.

Q: The syllabus of IIMA has undergone a major transformation. What has changed?

A: Our curriculum is designed to transform graduates into business leaders, reflecting industry realities. A major mechanism is the case study method, which mirrors real scenarios; adopting the latest cases brings industry reflection into the classroom.

More importantly, technology often moves faster than industry adoption. We prepare our students to become business leaders who lead the industry in technology adoption and drive change.