The Vinod Gupta School of Management, IIT Kharagpur had the honor of hosting Mr. Amitabh Ray, Managing Director, Ericsson Global Services India for a talk as part of “Vaarta” -the institute's flagship industry expert guest lecture series, on 8 August 2019. An alumnus of Columbia Business School with an illustrious management career spanning more than two decades, Mr. Amitabh Ray is known for his grasp on the market pulse. In keeping with the need of the hour, Mr. Ray delivered a captivating session on the art of staying relevant.
Introducing the topic, Mr. Ray commented on the rapidly changing dynamics of the job market and the alarming trend of traditional jobs becoming outdated with the advent of the digital era. He went on to explain how accelerated growth in technology reduced the interval between successive industrial revolutions, attributing this to fundamental changes in our medium of communication. Recalling Gordon Moore’s statement regarding the growth of technology doubling every year, he said that we are fast approaching the era of singularity – a moment in time when machines will surpass humans in intelligence. He illustrated this claim with current examples of how technology is becoming a market disruptor across sectors like medicine, law, energy, and travel.
Speaking about the pace with which discoveries are becoming obsolete, he drew attention to the need for educational institutions to shift from a knowledge-centric approach to a learning-centric approach to stay ahead in this race. While elaborating on the challenges that one would likely encounter in the quest to stay relevant, he emphasized the need to escape old ideas and overcome the curse of success- referring to the struggle faced by successful organizations because of their inability to change for fear of losing status quo. He then went on to share his mantra for success- Learn Unlearn Relearn. He concluded with a few insights on leadership in the future. The session was followed by a Q&A round where he answered queries ranging from competencies needed in a changing job market to breaking down his threefold mantra for success. His parting remarks on learning to adapt to change elegantly summarized the talk and provided much food for thought to the budding managers of the institute.
Vinod Gupta School of Management, IIT Kharagpur would like to thank Mr. Ray for taking time from his busy schedule to interact with the students and engage them with his valuable insights.