COVID-19 has propelled faster adoption of automation and AI. Digital transformation is at the center of every organization in the current world. Whether it's a start-up, not-for-profit, or a large corporate, leaders and their workforce need to be digitally competent. Managers have to be conversant with the latest IT trends and promote a mindset that embraces technology and innovation.
B School is therefore revamping its curriculums by adding courses on digital marketing, data analytics, digital strategy, and digital transformation to ensure their students are technology literate. Typically, MBA programs tended to focus on producing generalists with a wide variety of skills. According to McKinsey Global Institute, in India, the share of total work hours expended using physical and manual skills will decline by 2.2 percentage points. In comparison, time devoted to technological skills will rise 3.3 percentage points. In response to the shift towards a focus on technical skills and adaptive leadership, we see that most reputed B-schools offer at least one course and specialization in data analytics.
For instance, at IIMU, courses on digitization have been included both as core and electives to ensure that the graduates contribute towards smooth digital transition in their respective organizations. From next year onwards, graduates will also be learning programming languages like R.
Introducing new programs
B-school graduates are expected to integrate analytics to increase the effectiveness of their decisions. Furthermore, MBA graduates cannot create value for their customers in today's world without reasonably in-depth knowledge of creating technology products and services. Therefore leading B Schools are now offering new programs to equip management students to develop knowledge, skill, and confidence to drive the digital economy. Consequently, it is not surprising that IIMU's flagship one-year MBA in Digital Enterprise Management continues to attract many applicants every year.
Increasing focus on Collaborative Management Research
While traditionally, research at B-Schools has been criticized for being retrospective and lagging industry practice, the pandemic highlighted the need for rigorous phenomenon-driven multidisciplinary research. Many reputed B Schools have thus created Research Centres to bring together academics, policymakers, industry leaders, and practitioners to understand and solve fundamental issues underpinning the future of work. Through these centers, B Schools are creating and sustaining a dynamic environment for thought leadership in the future of work such as digital transformation and the changing nature of customer preferences. Through cutting-edge research, B Schools are shaping the skillset for the future and preparing their graduates for the digital economy. For example, the Centre for Digital Enterprise at IIMU aims to produce graduates fluent in both the language of business and the language of digital enterprise.
Through this three-pronged strategy, Indian B schools prepare students for an uncertain future and groom adaptive leaders.
About the Author:
Prof. Kirti Mishra, a faculty in OB and HR with the Indian Institute of Management Udaipur, contributes the article.
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