MBA is synonymous to Smart guys with excellent communication skills loaded with fast track knowledge (knowledge gathered by years of industry experience loaded in books) to run an organization with high speed, acting as catalysts.
While I was working with home loans division of ICICI Bank & BHW Home Finance I came across many candidates for direct sales force who were carrying the so called MBA degree and can neither converse in English nor speak with confidence, hence are facing a lovely music of being overqualified for a direct sales force job and not competent enough for managerial jobs.
Then the real question is how come they are out in the market flaunting their MBA degrees and expecting a managerial job right from the Day One? Has the institute thrown away the degrees for just money without caring that these guys will actually spoil the repute of the college as well as making of an MBA? Can one think of a CA not knowing debit/credit of accounts? Can one think of a lawyer without basics of law? Can one think of a scientist without knowledge of Newton’s laws or Laws of thermodynamics? Similarly think of an MBA who can not communicate well?
But how does this matter as with an MBA degree at least one gets short listed for a job. What an Irony, Management education was started with an aim of smart entrepreneurs, and it has become a passport for job interviews?
And most of these guys with MBA degrees in hand go for personality development programs to enhance their communication skills which their institute was responsible to get them before they passed out (barring top 50 or so institutes of country)
Now what exactly should be the basic constituent of an MBA? Is it development of communication skills or just getting the subjects run through?
Of course everyone will agree that development of communication skills should be the first and foremost task of a management college and subjects should take the back seat as there is no end to knowledge delivery. So if the student pickup right communication skills, then the speed of capturing the knowledge will increase many folds.
The first task is done right; the second task automatically gets done.
However here comes the catch.
Are the management colleges equipped to impart good communication skills? Do they have faculties who can look at their communication skills development as a challenge or just deliver a lecture about what should be the good communication skill parameters?
I strongly believe that most of the students taking admission with management colleges are interested to acquire the knowledge as well as be Smart Guys to get ahead in Life, but it is the lackadaisical attitude of the college management who are just fighting to get the classes conducted which makes the students just get lethargic and start cribbing the college. With management colleges mushrooming all across India, there seems to be a urgent need to address the aim of the management education.
More issues like analytical abilities, the right attitude, structured negotiating skills and team spirit are also the key ingredients of the Right Management Education.
Is the regular course of MBA designed to equip the students with loads of subject knowledge or just a degree to flaunt or actual managers coming out as solution providers to speed up the growth of the organizations or create highly self motivated entrepreneurs?
This issue is not debatable on papers and in the discussion rooms as everyone will agree to the sole aim of management education is to create highly self motivated entrepreneurs as well as managers who can act as catalysts in their organizations. However, in actual practice the aim seems to get lost with education being the money making machine for businessmen/corporate houses and individuals.
By: Brajesh Bolia
© 2010 Management Education
