As the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Bill is being drafted, Debashis Chatterjee, director of IIM-Kozhikode (IIM-K), talks about how the Bill will offer definitive powers to the IIMs like granting degrees. In an interview with Vinay Umarji, he explains the way ahead for the IIMs. Excerpts:
IIM-K recently conducted a management development programme on leadership. It has been learnt that industry representatives from varied parts/sectors participated. How does IIM-K look to build on this success?
I taught a three days’ executive education workshop for CEOs and senior management personnel on ‘timeless leadership’. There were 47 participants consisting inspectors general of police, top officers of the Indian Air Force, senior bureaucrats, CEOs of prominent Indian companies, successful entrepreneurs in IT, corporate executives from Dubai and Kuwait, a film maker and a school principal as well. They went through a transformational workshop based on timeless lessons from India’s spiritual classic, the Bhagavad Gita. IIM-K hopes to take this programme to Singapore, West Asia, Australia and the US. With this workshop, we unveiled a state-of-the-art executive education facility that will attract learners from around the world. This is in keeping in with our mission of globalising Indian thought.
What are the salient features of the IIM Bill? What definitive powers will it grant the IIMs?
The Bill is in the draft stage and I am not authorised to speak on it. It is assumed that IIM Boards shall be responsible for the general superintendence, direction and control of the affairs of the Institute. They will also be able to grant degrees, diplomas and other academic distinctions or titles; and to institute and award fellowships, scholarships, prizes and medals; honorary awards and other distinctions. IIMs may be also able to set up centres for management studies and to support and collaborate with management institutions located in the country and abroad with the approval from competent authorities.
How will it chart the administrative and financial autonomy for the IIMs?
First, IIMs can determine, specify and receive payment of fees and other charges, as they deem fit, from students and any other person, institution or body corporate for instruction and other services, including training, consultancy and advisory services, provided by the Institute.
Second, IIMs are empowered to create administrative, technical and ministerial and other posts under the Institute other than the post of director, and to make appointments thereto.
Third, in the case of appointment of chairpersons and directors, the IIM boards have been given the power to recommend three names to the human resources ministry for its consideration.
Will there be enough takers for disciplines like humanities if and when the Bill is passed?
The IIM Bill in its current draft form has nothing to do with any specific discipline such as humanities. The current trend is to integrate management courses with a larger ecology of allied disciplines such as law, ethics, environment and governance. The IIMs are likely to be more holistic and integral than they were.
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With the Bill, will IIMs be able to address issues like faculty shortage, inadequate international research representation, etc?
The Bill, according to my understanding, does not affect in any way the current status on all these fronts. We have begun recruiting from outside the country as well. Earlier, the crisis was of market realities, wherein the IIMs could not match international salaries. But things are changing. We should be able to attract more faculty from within the country and outside.
IIM-K has been advocating increased participation from women candidates in the CAT. Are the IIMs working together on this issue?
We have put forth a pioneering step in admitting up to 35 per cent women in a batch size of over 300 students. This wasn’t done in the last 50 years of the IIMs’ existence. It is for other IIMs to decide what kind of gender diversity they want. All I can say that what we have done has brought about a greater awareness in the need for gender diversity among all management schools in India, as well as among our recruiters.
Has IIM-K yet joined the Indian Placement Reporting Standards (IPRS)? If not, why? When do you plan to join?
We believe in setting our own standards. There is complete transparency in what is reported from our placement office. If my placement chairman feels the need to look at IPRS, he will.
How do you perceive 2013 final placements vis-a-vis 2007-08 and 2008-09 levels? Will it be better or worse than the meltdown years of 2008-09 or even last year? Why?
I am not a fortune teller. Our placements happen as a natural consequence of the competence of our students. The fluctuations in the market forces have not yet affected our placements in any significant way. The future looks reasonably bright for final placements in 2013.
The newer IIMs are finding it hard to place their students. Is IIM-K planning to reach out to either of the new IIMs to help them?
We will help wherever we can. However, to the best of my knowledge, newer IIMs have done well with placements despite the economic downturn.
Have the IIMs finally decided to take CAT global in 2013? When will that happen?
Please wait for 2013, you will get your answer!
One area that the IIMs lack strength is alumni relations and raising funds from alumni. What plans IIM-K has to address the issue?
We have a series of networking events called Sangam, wherein IIM-K faculty connects with the alumni. Sangam takes place in several cities in India and some cities abroad. The alumni of IIM-K has played a very proactive role in the placements of our students in recent years. We are strengthening our alumni relations and have plans to start a development office to consolidate our relationship with the alumni further. We also helped some of our alumni with entrepreneurial ventures. One of them runs a popular book cafe inside the institute. Some of our alumni has also approached us to be selected as fellows to help the Cabinet ministers of Kerala on governance issues.