D I V E R S I F Y
MULTIFARIOUSNESS IS THE NEW BUZZ.
When I grow up I’ll be stable When I grow up I’ll turn the tables
Garbage
es, folks the world of MBA education is finally growing up. There was a time when B-schools would limit themselves to students from mainstream backgrounds such as commerce, economics, science, engineering or straight-jacketed humanities. There was also a time that B-School classrooms would be predominantly male. Hmm...it seems there was also a time when B-Schools would encourage only students from companies or corporations to come and take their short-stint refresher courses...The tables, however, are turning.
Today an enthusiasm for fine arts, a flair for different languages, or an outswinger in your portfolio can actually earn you brownie points. Multifariousness is all what the buzz is about. The trend of attracting MBA applicants with diverse backgrounds has become contagious. In a good sort of way.
Take the case of the Class of 2008 at the Indian School of Business, Hyderabad, (ISB).Students come from really diverse backgrounds in terms of work experience - pharma, shipping, FMCG, healthcare, media, medicine, civil services, armed forces, manufacturing, education and research, advertising, and a host of other areas. The ISB has emphasised the importance of diversity in the classroom right from the start. The School has made special efforts each year to attract a diverse student body. While 59% of the 2008 batch comes with an engineering degree, (15% less than the last year), the remaining 41% come from various other backgrounds.
The trigger for ISB’s diversity compliance dovetails into the new thinking that is being wrought in workplaces. “Peer learning is a very vital aspect of management education,” says ISB dean professor M Rammohan Rao. “We often simulate the real world in the classroom, where new situations are created and discussions with a diverse group lead to new perspectives. The experiences shared in the classroom add a lot of depth to the lessons taught by professors, and enrich the teaching overall.” The thinking is that a multicultural institute with a multi-disciplinary approach enhances the scope for a deep participatory learning approach.
At FMS, Delhi, too, student Abhishek Sipani, points to the healthy mix of graduates from varied disciplines as geography, physics and sciences, psychology and medicine apart from the flock of CAs, commerce and economics graduates. Two percent of the students in the 2008 batch have their own entrepreneurial ventures while roughly 5% are from an army background. Consider the case of Dr Girish Brakru, a doctor by profession who interned with an FMCG firm and received offers from a software giant as well as a leading investment bank. He joined the bank. Amitabh Deka, a doctor now working with ICICI Lombard as area head - government solutions group says: “As a doctor I know I had an edge over others in hospital management, healthcare, clinical science and pharmaceuticals.”
Clearly, the world of work today recognises that outstanding, talented people come from all walks of life and contribute a rich set of viewpoints and experiences to companies. Diversity contributes to a stronger, more exciting team environment and is an important source of perspectives, opportunities, and relationships for business. So companies are making themselves in a mould which will give all individuals an opportunity to flourish and succeed, regardless of their background, ethnicity, or gender. A new student at ISB, Arti Kothari, a former business journalist makes an equally strong case for it. “We talk about diversity in the student body, but to know how it really adds value, you have to participate in a study group. I am amazed by the varied perspectives brought to the table by an army doctor, a journalist, an RBI manager and an engineer on the same topic.”
Knowledge of multiple subjects, therefore, provides a wider perspective. Says Gita Bajaj, assistant professor at MDI, Gurgaon: ”The complexity of decisions and the gamut of social, cultural, political, and economic paradigms that a global manager must understand to address these, require a holistic perspective, a wide exposure and an open mind to continuously learn and evolve. Knowledge, be it of a foreign languages or arts or science is what could provide the extra edge.”
The scope of academics too on campuses across the world is being stretched. Interactives apart, problem-based learning: cases and guided design, group learning-teamwork, group learning-cooperative learning, drama, simulation games, technology-visual and computer-based instruction, technologybased delivery, fieldwork-service learning, and fieldwork internship and project work have become the norm.
The appeal of multiple pursuits is scored by Jonathan Feinstein, professor of economics at Yale School of Management. He says it can spawn creative connections. “It is often very valuable for ‘creativity’ to have interests in more than one subject, and specifically to have some ongoing interests outside of one’s main work focus. Creativity is so often about making “creative connections” between elements/ideas in different domains.
A classic example, discussed in my book The Nature of Creative Development, is Albert Einstein: Starting from a paradox he had hit upon at the age of 16-what would happen if you could just follow behind a beam of light, moving at the same speed – he developed an interest that had two branches, one in physics, the other in philosophy and especially conceptions of space and time. Through this second branch he was eventually led to the work of David Hume - pretty distant from what most young physicists in Germany would be reading! - and was able to make a creative connection between Hume’s notion that we define ‘time’ ourselves and his physics paradox, inventing the theory of relativity.”
Recognising the linkage between creativity and business, the ISB offers an ‘artists in residence’ course which is a part of the larger ‘business and arts’ program. The twofold objective of this course is to help recognise non-conventional opportunities in business and to focus on link between creavitivity and managing business.
The argument, however, is not to discount the significance of a lone MBA degree as Martin N Davidson, associate professor of business administration at the Virginia Darden Graduate School of Business explains: “Many MBAs are people with backgrounds in art, literature, and engineering! The MBA degree continues to provide an advantage in the marketplace that values managerial skill and training because MBAs are people trained to be managers and leaders. If I wanted a top-notch manager, I would look for MBAs first.”
As much as it’s meaning, the term ‘diversity’ assumes different dimensions in different countries and regions. In the educational institutions in India, there is diversity in the student body. Students from different castes, religion, states of India, culture and gender are represented in the group. The international mix is also increasing. “Over the years we’ve had 10% of the batch comprising foreign nationals, from countries such as China, Vietnam, Korea and Taiwan apart from the US and the UK. The interactions we have with these students in class provide a favourable blend of cross cultural experiences and their need is felt all the more as Indian businesses decide to go global,” says Sipani on FMS.
At Yale, says Bruce DelMonico, director of admissions, we have admitted students from 36 different countries for the ’09 batch, with a large contingent from India. We try to admit people with diverse sector backgrounds in an effort to assemble a class with not only cultural and racial diversity, but diversity of interests as well.”
Yet, there is still much to be done to encourage equal participation of the differently-abled and economically backward students. “The potential of these groups is much higher than the success they are able to achieve. For instance, one of the leading coffee chains has employed deaf and dumb waiters serving the customers. The waiters’ ability to understand the body language to assess the customer requirements and the pleasantness of the facial expression have delighted the customers while their commitment to the job and the company, has delighted the management,” says Bajaj.
This isn’t an uncommon strain. Says Davidson: “The racial and cultural barriers that exist in society continue to influence enrollment of students from culturally diverse backgrounds. The latest research on implicit bias tells us that even with the best intentions, we cannot help but be influenced by assumptions and stereotypes. Examples are that the average person of colour applying may not be as qualified as a white candidate, or that someone coming from a non-English-speaking country won’t be able to communicate effectively. The key to overcoming these natural biases is vigilant awareness of what our biases are and courageous confrontation and learning about what is real as opposed to assumed.”
Aah - for that sweet spot! The tables are turning.
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