The changing face of a manager

By Prof. Indira J Parikh

The interface between industry and academia, especially the B-Schools and management institutions is fairly intertwined. B-schools select candidates such that at the end of two years the students would be placed in organisations of repute with a good compensation package. The B-Schools get a good reputation when their students entering organisations start performing well in the industry and are considered employable and performance oriented. This also enhances the ratings of the schools.

The question is, given the turbulent times and the ongoing transformations in the economy; what qualities and personalities do the managers of tomorrow present, as they prepare themselves to enter the corporate world.

A few decades ago, students who entered business and management schools reflected the “good son” quality and were role and duty conscious both in the social milieu and at workplace. They focused on performance and were aligned to the organisational structures, frameworks and worked within the boundaries of organisational systems and policy guidelines. Promotions were largely based on seniority and/or personal, relational affiliations.

As the industry grew and prospered, so did the employees and their socio-economic status. The children of this generation grew up in the world of prosperity and the education became more work-centric and occupation-linked. The generation of managers of today and tomorrow are expecting something very different from life. For example, they are impatient for growth, challenges and opportunities. They want to be appraised on their merit and performance. Most importantly, they want to have a life beyond workplace. They are grappling with the pressures of managing relationships both at work and at home. They do not wish to sacrifice one for the other. The new breed of tomorrow’s managers is also looking for leisure and travel time.

All these put together, the Business schools will need to rethink and redesign the education, the curriculum and as such the admission processes differently. The admission test templates have been there for decades, going as far back in time when the business schools got started. Today, the times have changed, the student expectations have changed, and of course, the technology is transforming at an unprecedented pace. The country has transformed dramatically, from largely a country of scarcity to a country exposed to the modern lifestyle with media, new-age mobiles, shopping malls and eating-out culture. Organisations have grown, new industries have emerged and so have the needs of the organisations & their employees.

With E-learning widening its roots, the information sources see a shift from parents, seniors and organizational mentors to the Google and Facebooks of the world.  Thus, the educational institutions will have to provide learning which is relevant and meaningful and keeps the students involved and engaged.  This would guide the new generation’s entry into organisations with an attitude and orientation which is responsive to the new challenges and opportunities as well as in sync with the structured environment of the organisations.  Moreover, the dynamic interplay between B-schools, managers of today and tomorrow, and the industry will create an organisational culture which will demand involvement and encourage commitment from the young generation, to take the organisation forward.

The author is Founder President, FLAME, Pune