A shot at entrepreneurship

Right from day one, a sizeable population of PGPX students have been very actively pursuing entrepreneurship. A few very active special interest groups have already been formed and these groups are taking a serious shot at starting something on their own. Entrepreneurship is the hallmark of most successful MBA programs and IIMA PGPX has left no stone unturned to facilitate the same.

We have a very successful multi millionaire entrepreneur who has himself been a gold medallist at IIMA in the late seventies, taking personal interest in each and every one of us. Not only does he hold so called "brain washing" sessions to persuade students into taking up new ventures, he has personally been driving students with clear directives on entrepreneurship. Right from the day PGPX commenced, he has set base on campus. Even spouses of participants have not been spared. They are equally being involved in various activities such as training to set up schools and starting small ventures.

Students themselves are not far behind. We have among the students a few already successful entrepreneurs. One of them has already set up a successful chain of book stores, made successful commercial movies and so on. These students are doing their bit in motivating and helping others work in similar lines. With barely any breathing space between assignments and quizzes, we still had a bus load of students travelling as far as Baroda just to see how a real factory works. At the end of the course, I am sure we will have among us many who will make the others proud by setting their own trail.

Term 1 Part 2

The first term is almost divided into two logical halves with some of the subjects getting over halfway through and new ones getting added. The new subjects that were added naturally had new professors. In the last few weeks, we have had two such subjects and the reason I am writing this blog is the professors that are teaching them. Even after one month of enjoying the great pedagogy, the professors still are managing to amaze us with their very special way of teaching.

The first one is strategic cost management and the professor impressed us so much that we are actually looking forward to the classes even with sleep deprivation and all that. To give an idea, he has worked in almost all the continents of the world in senior managerial roles, had been a gold medalist in his CFA and had left as a senior manager at Rolls Royce before quitting and joining IIMA. The examples and summaries that he gives in the class are so relevant and to the point that one of a fellow student was referring to them as a revelation.

The next is a new class on operations management. The professor has the capacity to wake up Rim Van Winkle from his slumber. He started a seemingly insipid subject saying that by the end of the fifteen sessions we are going to attain the nirvana that Buddha achieved. He also explained the various uses of the textbook such as a pillow, an exercising equipment and lastly as a tool for learning things that lesser mortals wanted to know. In short, he said that the case method to teach operations was being used in IIMA and this is probably the only instance in the entire country. As a result, no textbook could give us the knowledge and wherewithal to handle operations anytime in the future.

Well, even after all the rigor and torture that we have been subjected to, I would still give my good night's sleep to attend these enriching lectures - even from my orbit of Pluto.

Salesman Calling

The week saw us donning the hats of market surveyors. Students of different groups went out for market surveys of different products as part of a marketing assignment. Some were interrogators, some mere observers. Some were roaming vegetable markets, some TV showrooms whereas others were checking out second hand bookstores.

I belonged to a lucky group who had to survey TV buyers. Or so I thought! Lucky because we had the air conditioning working in our favor which probably the vegetable market guys were sorely missing. But then it is peak summer with IPL in full swing. We ventured out in the afternoon hoping to catch up some sleep later. But alas, empty showrooms greeted us. After spending two full hours of general loitering, better sense prevailed and we soon beat a retreat to the dorms.

The second session was planned in the evening and this time we could see some light at the end of the tunnel. We sneaked into a showroom and caught hold of an unsuspecting customer the moment he signed across the dotted line. Though taken aback, he seemed to be sympathetic and the IIM badge also helped to an extend. However, the store manager had another opinion of the whole affair. He intervened hastily and made sure we shifted our rendezvous to a suitable spot outside of the store in question. Nevertheless, we could complete our survey and returned with a handful of data to ponder over. The egos were busted in the process and the respect for salesmen in general took a significant boost.

Classes that are a Class apart

It has been only a week of classes for us at IIMA and what an experience it has already been. So far we had only heard fables of the the kind of interaction that happens in the classrooms, but to experience it first hand is a different ball game altogether. Consider this - marketing is taught by a professor who has co-authored the bible in marketing and is also a visiting professor for various renowned business including INSEAD. Organizational behavior is taught by a professor who holds the entire class of 86 in almost a captivating trance. The first case was delivered by someone who almost made it look like child's play to us.

The professors are not just great subject matter experts but are equally brilliant in holding the class attention with optimum amount of humor. To a question of a student about how 7 different personalities can gel in a work group for a year, the simple counter question of the professor was "Are you married?" And the entire auditorium erupted in a roar.

It is only a week of classes and we have already got insights into marketing strategies, watched a small movie as part of organizational behavior and indulged in an extempore speech session. The indications are quite clear that the journey, though a very difficult one, is going to be equally enjoyable for all of us.

Class Mix

Why do we need an MBA? One strong reason that I could convince myself about pursuing an MBA education was to get a training that will allow one to manage business that is industry agnostic. In general, one would expect that a person who has spent considerable time in a given industry will gradually acquire the expertise to manage business in his own industry. But doing so, the thought process of such managers become susceptible to being stereotyped. This is not always the case, but there is a fair chance of that happening.

As an inference, a management education that enhances your knowledge about more than one industry can be considered desirable. One way to do this is to impart such knowledge directly through the curriculum. The other more effective way would be to get the knowledge from someone who has been in such different industries and situations first hand.

From the first day at IIMA, I have realized that the diverse learning from peers would be one of the biggest takeaways. Imagine, in a class of just 86 students, I have already interacted extensively with a commander from Indian Navy who has trained NDA cadets for over 20 years. There is another who has been a deputy commissioner of Income Tax. The guy who sits next to me in class is a general surgeon. Leaving aside the business development managers, technology consultants, engineers, media persons, you still have those who have worked with NGOs, energy firms and Indian Railways. Not only are these very talented individuals from various industries, they also carry substantial work experience and have not just superficial industry knowledge. The fact that we are just a group of 86, means that touch time with each and every one of us is very effective and meaningful. This, I believe, makes all the difference at IIMA PGPX.