REINVENTING B-SCHOOLS

THOSE ASPIRING to be in corporate corner rooms in the future are now faced with some critical questions. How do they prepare for a business environment that is unpredictable and volatile? As tomorrow's managers and business leaders, what are the key attributes they must have as rapid change engulfs the global economy? What are the lessons that they need to learn now, which will empower them to face tomorrow's business environment with confidence? In this VUCA environment, the B-schools these aspiring managers go to must then be equipped to prepare them well enough for success amid this uncertainty. That’s the key issue B-schools are grappling with as well. Are they in tune with the changing times where a mere MBA degree no longer guarantees success in the corridors of corporations? Do they know how to ensure their students are not just using AI prompts, but truly know how to harness artificial intelligence without killing curiosity?

- SOURAV MAJUMDAR Editor-in-Chief [e-mail] @TheSouravM

Our special India’s Best B-schools issue comes to you amid these disruptions. A management degree must do much more today to equip tomorrow's managers with the tools needed to navigate this new ecosystem than ever before. And B-schools are increasingly realising that they need to reinvent themselves to stay relevant. As Suresh Narayanan, the former boss of Nestlé India tells my colleague Ajita Shashidhar who helmed this issue, B-schools today must groom leaders who are able to navigate volatility and technological disruptions, and still ensure growth is happening. Let's also look at it from the perspective of those who will be recruiting these students. As Rajkamal Vempati, CHRO of Axis Bank tells us, industry needs critical thinkers, those who under