Globalisation top agenda for IIM-A's new director

It's been four months since Ashish Nanda took charge of India's top management institute and there are a host of changes on campus

After the Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad (IIM-A) slipped in the FT Global MBA rankings this year, globalisation is on top of the to-do list of its new director, Ashish Nanda.

Four months after taking charge as the director, Nanda, a former Harvard professor, has suggested faculty members calibrate IIM-A's academic year with that of other global B-schools.

"Globally, the academic calendar is such that summer internships, for instance, are held from July to September unlike in India, where it takes place between April and June. In one of the review meetings, the director had suggested the idea of calibrating IIM-A's academic calendar with that of

B-schools in the western world," says a senior faculty member on condition of anonymity.

NANDA’S TO-DO LIST

• Check possibility of calibrating IIM-A’s academic calendar with other global B-schools’
• Enhance quality research, especially on issues affecting society in general in the country
• Expand capacity in terms of faculty, staff, infrastructure and reach of programmes
• Increase interaction with foreign faculty, institutes and the world of practice and policy
• Increased frequency of meeting faculty, staff and students
• Decentralise and bring in a sense of freedom among faculty

The director, it has been learnt, believes this will help IIM-A work in tandem with other global B-schools and enhance global partnerships.

Besides, enhancing quality and decentralisation of work are on the to-do list. According to sources, Nanda has been working on these through frequent meetings with faculty, staff and students.

Nanda has already met two-thirds of the 90-odd faculty members in one-on-one meetings with them.

"In the previous administration, faculty meetings with the director would be as low as three or four in a year. On the contrary, in last four months, the new director has held faculty meetings four times," a senior faculty member says.

The director is also learnt to have had several review meetings with respective stakeholders and officebearers on various issues such as PGP programmes, infrastructure, health, sports facilities, research and placements among others. "The director is reviewing how the campus functions in various aspects and what changes could be brought about in each of these," adds the faculty member.

"These meetings have been very useful in understanding where we are and what our potential is. And, it has also been useful to me to help the faculty members get the sense of me," says Nanda.

Since Nanda took charge, visits by many foreign students, faculty and other experts for various events on the campus have increased. According to Nanda, the institute has been inviting several faculty members from top institutions across the globe to give lectures and interact with the faculty.

"Our student exchange programmes continue to be very active and productive. IIM-Ahmedabad has almost one third of its PGP student body going on exchange programmes and has agreements with more than 100 schools all over the world for their students to come, which provides some exposure to international participants," adds Nanda.

Another thing faculty members are happy with is the greater sense of freedom and autonomy that Nanda has brought in. "One thing that stands out for faculty is the fair amount of decentralisation that he has brought in. Not everything has to now go up to the director's office for approval," says another senior faculty member.

Nanda believes he has his job cut out, at least in the immediate future.

Over the next six months or so, his objective is to push forward three items - increased connections with the world of practice and policy as well as local community, nurture a work environment of excellence, and expand capacity.

"IIM-A is a terrific institution but it could have stronger connections with at least three constituencies, viz the world of practice and policy, global connections and the local community. The second initiative is building and nurturing a positive work environment of excellence. And the third initiative that I am working on is growing capacity," says Nanda.