A B-school That Makes Taking Part In Committees Compulsory For Holistic Learning, Ft. SPJIMR Students

Q.) Tell us how the ADMAP unfolds for a first-year student at SPJIMR.

Shreyas:
Towards the beginning of the first term, we are briefed about the objectives and modalities of the course and also about envisioned goals of 20 ADMAP committees which are aligned with the Institute’s mission. Every committee has faculty guides and they mentor students throughout the course. We also receive continuous support from school management and staff members.
Post allocation to various committees, we interacted with seniors of the same committee to learn from their experiences which helped us carry forward the committee work. Every committee makes an annual plan of activities and events to fulfill the goal of the committee under the guidance of committee heads and periodic reflection on learning is one of the mainstays.

Siddhartha:
The course introduces the concept of self-learning and is envisaged under the ideology of ‘getting things done' and influencing without power. It is built on the principle that experiential learning is the best way to inculcate skills and a change in attitude, and aims to provide a value-based approach to management education.
Through 20 distinct committees which work in perfect cohesion, and various roles and responsibilities, the course aims to provide a culmination of theoretical knowledge and practical experience by encouraging students to take up positions of responsibility and bring in their past knowledge, skills and attitude to get things done in various contexts.

Shreyas:
The ADMAP experience with the Sports Committee at SPJIMR was an enriching one with a multitude of learnings such as how to work with in unprecedented times in virtual spaces and collaborate constructively towards a bigger cause. Our responsibility involved the encouragement and involvement of the batch in various sports and related activities, to encourage practices that contribute towards good health, both physical and mental. The Sports Committee was also in charge of supporting the organization of SPRINT ’21, the flagship annual B-school sports festival at SPJIMR.

Siddhartha:
Like every year, the admissions department planned and executed the usual process of inviting applications, solving queries, assisting prospective candidates about the PGDM programme, and announcing shortlisted candidates for interviews. The admissions department also decided on going ahead with online interviews and scheduled candidates spanning across 4+ weeks. As part of the Admissions Committee, our team of 15 individuals were tasked with planning and executing the management of the flow of processes on the day of the interview while ensuring a top-notch candidate experience.  Our responsibilities also included coordinating with the admissions department and designing outreach programs to increase the engagement with prospective candidates and to increase awareness of the institute. The entire course which spanned over 8 months provided an exciting platform to enhance our administrative traits as leaders of tomorrow, some of which are listed below:

1. Perseverance: Learning to manage and engage with disappointments during challenging times
2. The importance of working hard and putting in the extra mile effort to ensure a seamless interview experience for the candidate
3. The importance of being a self-starter and a person who takes initiative in various aspects while respecting the diverging viewpoints of other members
4. Collaborating with members who came from different backgrounds and had different working styles. We had put the strengths of each other to good use during the entire planning and execution phase which was critical to the success of the entire process
5. Engaging with various stakeholders in the admission process and learning to get work done without formal power.
6. Empathizing with candidates both before and during the admission process

Q.) What challenges did you face during the ADMAP? How did you overcome them?

Shreyas:
Given the prevailing pandemic situation rendering most of our activities impractical this year, we, as a committee, had our work cut out for us. We were pushed to collaboratively ideate events that could be conducted online, to maximize the engagement of our batch mates as we spent the majority of the year in our respective homes. We simultaneously had to remotely encourage physical activity during the lockdown months by conducting events such as the Zumba workshop, among others.

Siddhartha:
The Central Admissions department needed to take a call between the usual mode of conducting interviews or going online. Seeing the uncertainty around, the admissions department finally decided to conduct the interviews in online mode. Challenges were multi-fold because the students in the admissions committee assisting in the interview process did not have any prior experience for a digital process and hence, needed to design the entire flow of the interview process from scratch.
The virtual mode did contribute to a feeling of anxiety amongst the team members at the beginning of the course in relation to our interaction and collaboration with each other. However, as the course moved forward, regular interactions, brainstorming sessions and dry runs helped us curb this anxiety and alleviate our bond over the online platform.

Q.) What are some learnings you had from ADMAP that have helped you build your career?

• Understanding organizational structure and context
• Differentiating between sources and uses of power
• Learning to work with diverse individuals and personality traits
• Influencing people without power and managing without a positional authority

Q.) Based on your journey at SPJIMR, would you say that compulsory participation in committees by way of formalization of practical management is necessary for business schools today?

Shreyas:
The experience provides participants with plenty of opportunities to receive valuable feedback, leverage strengths, and work on areas to develop, in an organized, well-structured manner. Apart from the obvious benefits in the areas of practical management, perhaps most importantly, your committee members are very likely to become some of your closest friends by the end of the year-long journey!

Siddhartha:
The entire essence of a business school is to create leaders of tomorrow who are equipped to tackle difficult situations as part of their professional lives and in an organizational setting. Mandatory participation of students in these committees provides them access to real-time situations in which they learn to prioritize, delegate, manage time and make difficult decisions. These prepare them better in dealing with challenges of the corporate ecosystem.