Sir Ahmadu Bello

Management Education in India comes under the purview of the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). At the outset the arrangement seems innocuous. There doesn't seem to be any discrepancy in the set up. But as management professionals know there are lots of psychological as well as other ramifications poured into such a small thing as a brand name.

Why MBA is not Technical Education

Technical, somehow or the other, whether valid or not, connotes mechanical and scientific enquiry to me. Which in turn denotes exactitude and accuracy. That is 1+1 = 2. Unfortunately management is not an accurate science. There are any number of choices for each decision in a given situation. None of which is perfect and none of which is completely wrong. It is a question of choosing the optimum one at the right time.

Any person who wants to be a good manager needs to be creative. By creativity I don't mean artistic ability, but the aptitude to think in the abstract, to understand the concept, look at things both logically and laterally. Management is a lot about art with a bit of science thrown in. It is about gut instincts, empathy and experiential learning rather than pure logic and rational thought which is what technical and scientific temperament is all about.

I will give but just one example of how a technical and management perspective in education differ. For a technical course, unless you are talking of a doctoral or post doctoral degree a teacher who does not have any experience in the industry will do as well as one with a decade of experience as long as he has the necessary theoretical knowledge and communication abilities. But for an elective course in management teachers who themselves have no exposure to the industry taking class will be not only foolhardy but be tantamount to the blind leading the blind.

And while we are at it I do know that you learn Quantitative Methods and Operations Research in management but two papers doesn't a library make.

More about terms and psychology

While going through discussions on b-schools and looking at their advertisements, websites and prospectus one thing that has intrigued me is the use of different terms by different people and institutions in describing the offerings. Are we talking of courses or programmes? Do these b-schools cater to students or participants? Are they taught subjects or do the faculty facilitate learning? And why b-schools, not management colleges?

Now you may ask what connect this has with AICTE? In fact, is there any relevance at all, even in the scheme of management education? There is.

Let us look at what is the end purpose of an MBA education? It is much more than gaining a degree and having a passport for a well paid job. The company who absorbs them should get a product that is qualified to handle the jobs allotted to them as a future manager, or at least has the basic skills to build upon through in-house training.

What does this translate to?

1. Participants v/s Students: If you want the youngsters to act as adults then you have to treat them so rather than as kids who have to be put on a tight leash. Make them responsible and accountable for their actions. You have to give them a bit of freedom, so that they can make mistakes and learn from them. Understand what behaviour produces what effects themselves and adjust their performance on the job and even in the theatre of life accordingly.

The moment you start thinking of them as participants in a training programme that is conducted to make them employable rather than as students who have to learn in order to pass an exam, you will start dealing with them differently and even the candidates themselves will perceive themselves as adults who have to start forging a career in the near future. And this psychological shift will stand them in good stead when they join an organisation.

2. Course v/s Programme: A course brings out an image of spoon-feeding of data and information to be regurgitated at a later stage. This is done in a class room with the lecturer droning on with an occasional foray into writing down a few words, figures and formula on a black or white board. But a programme is more fun, the pedagogy a mixture of discussions, role plays and activities. The aim is more of skill development rather than theoretical learning.

3. Teaching v/s Learning: And that takes us to whether an MBA is taught or participants learn? Teaching works to a certain extent. To provide information, maybe even to explain the simple concepts. But in management education we are going further. The participants have to not only understand the concept but also learn how to apply them to practical situations.

So for a professional programme like an MBA we need more of experiential learning than classroom discussion. Where you learn to think on your feet, to analyse the pros and cons, the permutations and combinations of factors of a given situation; how to take a decision based on incomplete or inaccurate information and then implement them in an obstacle ridden environment.

And in this the faculty will act as a facilitator, as a devil's advocate if need be and help the participants develop their decision-making skills. For this the faculty also has to be experienced, who has been in similar situations so that he or she can guide them in the right path.

4. B-School v/s College: As regards the b-school versus college part, it is more of why a management institute is similar to a school rather than how it is different from a college. Just like in school in a business programme you are taught life skills and values. But maybe in a less subtle manner and in a shorter time period than at the secondary school level. Things that have to seep into the subconscious level and become a part of you or at least a habit that will serve you in good stead at the appropriate times. In effect by being a school it gives a wider perspective than a place where you learn just facts and figures.

Conclusion: In conclusion, as you can see, a technical perspective is a millstone tied around the neck of management institutes rather than an aid to good education. AICTE thus is not the right caretaker for the government to put management education on trust. Unless, of course, they have a separate wing which has a different nomenclature without the spectre of 'Technical' embedded inside!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Nimal_C_Namboodiripad/1615505

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_(By Nimal C Namboodiripad).