Dr. Dipak Jain, the new Dean of INSEAD, is a multi-faceted academician. He is credited for putting India on the global education map. Prior to taking over as the Dean of INSEAD, Dr. Jain was Kellogg’s Dean from 2001-2009.
In the run up to the Indian Management Conclave 2011, which will be held in New Delhi on August 11-12, MBAUniverse.com sought Dr. Jain’s advice on what Indian B-schools need to do to evolve from good to great and ultimately make their mark on the global management education map. We also asked Dr. Jain about the future roadmap for Indian management education.
Dr. Jain assumed his duties as Dean of INSEAD in March 2011. Dr. Jain is native of Tezpur, Assam. He is a graduate of Guwahati University and received a Masters in Management Science and a PhD in marketing from the University of Texas at Dallas. A noted scholar in marketing and entrepreneurship, Dr. Jain has published some 60 articles in scholarly and professional journals and three books.
INSEAD is an international graduate business school and research institution. It has campuses in France, Singapore, and Abu Dhabi, as well as a research center in Israel. The school offers a full-time MBA program, a PhD in Management program, and several executive education programs. INSEAD's flagship MBA program was ranked #4 by Financial Times and it has been the highest ranked one-year MBA program on the list for several years in a row.
Excerpts from the interview:
Q. What is your view on the current state of management education, globally? In the wake of financial meltdown, a lot of questions were raised...Have B-schools responded adequately?
A. The prospect for management education to make important, broad contributions to society has never been better. In fact, I believe that the challenges facing humanity now and in coming decades will require even more leadership and better management expertise. Those of us who are passionate about applying the tools of management to solve important problems embrace these challenges. We know that business can create widespread prosperity and that its practitioners can enjoy careers that are both successful and significant.
In terms of the market, there are nearly 13,000 business schools globally. These schools are fragmented and competitive, and there is considerable variability in quality. In the West, the schools are not declining, but current market forces make for limited growth. In the U.S., we see that mid-tier institutions are getting squeezed out by both top-tier and state-funded schools. The former offer students perceived brand value, while the latter offer perceived value for money. The majority of new market growth is taking place in countries where business is still growing. That is, India, China, and Brazil. These countries need talented people to manage the growth.
Given this market reality, we can say that some schools are delivering exceptionally well on their academic mission. However, the financial meltdown was a complex global phenomenon. It’s crucial we learn from this experience and refine our frameworks to understand the economic forces at work — as we must whenever we’re confronted by any dynamic system. Where business schools can improve their efforts is in creating opportunities for more experiential learning. That is, an innovation along the lines of what we see in physicians’ medical residencies. Young managers would have the chance to apply what they have learned in a real setting under the supervision of an experienced person. This experiential component, in combination with greater understanding of global business and the forces of globalization, is increasingly important today.
Q. You have been at the helm of affairs at Kellogg and now at INSEAD. How is INSEAD, an European B-school, different from the US B-schools. What is unique about INSEAD that you will like to share?
A. INSEAD offers students a truly global management education experience. With physical campuses in different locations around the world — Paris, Singapore, and Abu Dhabi — INSEAD’s research and teaching spans three continents, letting us provide an extraordinarily rich global leadership curriculum. Our strategic partnerships with other schools also give us a presence in the U.S., China and Latin America. Unlike many schools that claim “global” status, INSEAD’s student body really is diverse, with no more than about 10 percent coming from any one country. When you visit an INSEAD classroom, it is like looking into the United Nations. There is a genuine commitment to multiculturalism and to teaching the best management theory and practice in ways that enable our graduates to operate anywhere on the planet.
Q. India has more than 3500 B-schools today. While we have IIMs and ISBs, a large number of B-schools are facing challenges on Admissions and Placements. What is your view on the state of Indian MBA education?
A. Teaching has a strong history in India, and there are many exceptional teachers whose commitment is great. What is required in addition, though, is exceptional research. Quality research is key to gain significant external reputation. This is very important for business schools, especially if they can produce path-breaking research in India. In the U.S., we frequently see that strong teaching and research are linked, and support each other.
Q. In continuation with above, what is your advice to Indian MBA educators -- how can they build a great B-school, starting from scratch?
A. This is, of course, a big question, and a challenging one. I can, however, point to existing models that prove successful for business schools and encourage Indian educators to explore how they might adopt and adapt these models to suit their own needs.
One way is to open your own campus with your own faculty — an admittedly enormous task. Another option is to establish your campus, but have faculty commute to the site to teach for a set time and then return to their home campus. A third model builds alliances with local institutions, which can provide facilities while you provide the intellectual resources. A fourth model focuses on non-degree executive education. An additional option is to “train the trainer,” where you deliver programmes for teachers who then instruct the executives.
Q. The theme for Indian Management Conclave 2011 is ‘Building a Great B-school - what is the New DNA’. Today, what according to you should be the elements of the new DNA for B-schools looking to excel in times to come?
A. As stated previously, business schools need to be truly global in terms of how they design their curricula and culture, because that is the reality of globalization and markets today. Schools need to give students a strong foundation in managing complexity and uncertainty. This, in turn, points out the need for schools to provide an education that includes developing the collaborative skills to harness the expertise of diverse teams of people.
Perhaps at the broadest level, I believe that business schools should be agile and innovative — entrepreneurial — and ready to apply management theory in exceptional ways; in ways that, perhaps traditionally, have been under-utilised. I encourage management educators and practitioners to “go beyond” business in their thinking, even while we continue to prepare leaders who excel in a host of managerial roles.
Q. Finally, what is the future of management education? How does it look like in the next decade? What changes do you foresee?
A. Management education will occupy centre stage in the years to come. Big challenges around the globe will place bigger responsibilities on management education. Both educators and practitioners will have the opportunity to respond with the crucial ideas and action to solve problems of vast importance. Environmental issues, economic issues, health issues, energy issues: These are some of the arenas where we have the chance to make contributions of lasting significance. Doing so will require a passion for innovation and a vision for advancing prosperity more widely, for the benefit of the entire planet.
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