Life in a good business school

 Some time back, I had the opportunity to visit a reputed Business School in Delhi.  After a lot of persuasion from my erstwhile student at Delhi University, I dragged myself to the Institution reluctantly.  The School had good infrastructure and is well-positioned in the heart of Gurgaon.  Defying my expectations, the library also contained a good collection of titles from Indian as well as foreign authors.    On every floor, there is a coffee dispensing machine for the benefit of scholars and faculty.  The faculty cabins were well ventilated and there was enough space for keeping things and carry out work in a silent and effective manner.  To cut short a long argument, well, it had everything that a prospective student or faculty can think of.  After taking a look at everything that the School had, I requested the Coordinator of the Program to lead me to the Lecture theatre where the students were supposed to be waiting for me.  I am told the Director had some other appointment elsewhere but promised to join me for tea after the lecture session is over.

The Seminar Hall was fairly big, capable of accommodating over 400 students.  The hall was nearly full, consisting of both first and second-year students of the MBA program.  I was extremely happy to see everyone glued to their seats and eagerly waiting to catch a glimpse of the guest.  The topic 'Good Strategy & Bad Strategy' was announced to students fairly well in advance. I was expecting a barrage of questions from inquisitive students.  The lecture session ran for about 55 minutes.  The question hour, to my surprise, lasted more than an hour.  The students came forward with questions that would surprise even an experienced author and voracious reader like me.  Every example that I quoted elicited an opposite response and it was really not easy to put the arguments and counter-arguments to rest.  Everyone was eager to chip in, showed curiosity to put a question and seek a convincing answer and if not satisfied was ready to challenge the intellect of everyone else.  I had my plate full and thoroughly enjoyed the interactive session--full of insights brought to the room by the students who literally went that extra mile to make me think and answer putting all my intellectual resources and fine memory to good use.

The session left an indelible imprint for another reason. 

 Fantastic HR skills:  The Director of the School—joined the session, sitting one corner of the theatre during the question hour—took care of every requirement of the guest, giving all possible attention to even minute details.  He invited every faculty member to join the tea party cut jokes with everyone and mingled with the student Reps, treating almost everyone as an equal partner—demolishing all status barriers that normally exist in academic institutions

Gripe boxes all over the place:  I am told, he even encourages faculty and students to post their complaints through gripe boxes kept all over the campus—if they want to complain about anything with a promise to resolve everything with 24 hours.

Flexible academic scheduling:  The Faculty members would plan the schedule with the help of the Head of the Department in a highly flexible manner—accommodating the requests from both male and female counterparts

 No attendance registers of any kind:   Most surprisingly, the faculty members were never asked to sign an attendance register.  Within the rules set by the School, they enjoyed the freedom to report in a highly flexible way—of course, without missing the academic schedule.  When required, they can request a colleague to engage a particular class and exchange classes to mutual benefit.

Feedback mechanisms:  Student feedback, I am told, was a highly valued component of faculty evaluation, but students were not allowed to call the shots if any complaint did not stand the test of scrutiny.  All class-related work was delegated to academic assistants and the faculty was never saddled with examination related work.  Evaluations took place twice a year and the judgment of the concerned faculty—about a student’s performance-- would be final

Performance indicators:  The School had a 30 point index over which every component of faculty performance was measured and final scores computed and posted to the website for the benefit of all members.  The most important component was, of course, research in the form of papers in good quality journals, cases, conference papers, books, book chapters, working papers, study manuals, etc.  This index was the basis for all faculty rewards, awards, and promotions.

Exciting campus life:  Faculty members were encouraged to enrich the lives of students through various means—getting industry professionals to visit the campus regularly, offering counseling and mentoring support, taking students to stock exchanges, business fairs, trade meets, etc.  Adding to the excitement The campus had live trading terminals for every student to play, invest dummy money, and learn the tricks of the trade—ably assisted by both faculty guides and industry experts.  Surprisingly, I am told, students from all streams were active participants in stock trading mechanisms instituted by the School.  The school did not leave anything to chance when it comes to sending students for debates, discussions, contests, etc as part of its brand-building exercise.  All other extracurricular activities are taken care of by experienced and competent Sports coaches who were readily available throughout the day. 

·     Well, the School had everything going right for itself.--Full credit to the Director for empowering everyone and for making everyone feel like working diligently, sincerely and wholeheartedly.  The atmosphere was highly democratic and all participants seemed to love their work and carry it out silently and effectively.  Even the support staff members looked very happy and were exchanging notes with students, faculty, and even the Director with a lot of interest & enthusiasm writ all over their faces.  In a brutally competitive world, it was difficult for me to believe that such  A school could exist, survive, and flourish.  But the truth, sometimes, is stranger than fiction and I am told, it is growing from strength to strength almost every year and achieving the impossible.