Ramesh Venkateswaran Director, SDM Institute for Management Development, Mysore

Dr. Ramesh is the director of SDM, IMD, the famous business school known for nurturing grounds for holistic development of management students so as to enable them make effective contribution to the society. Under Dr. Ramesh’s able leadership, IMDSDM strives to develop effective leaders equipped with ethical and human values to reshape the nation’s destiny. Prof. Ramesh Venkateswaran was not only the Gold Medalist of his batch(1980) at IIM Bangalore but also has been a certified Auditor for ISO 9000 and QS 9000 Quality Systems. Apart from his love for management education, he is also Founder Member Chairman of 'Vishwas', a not for profit counseling organization in Bangalore, that offers free and confidential counseling services for people in emotional stress and founder Member of Nagarik, a forum to instill social responsibility among citizens.

Dr.Ramesh shares some of the valuable insights with NNE on the status of management education in the country, its strengths and weaknesses and ways to get better further.

Excerpts from the exclusive interview :

» To start with, please enlighten us by sharing something about yourself and your long association with management education in the country.

By qualification, I am a Mechanical Engineer from IIT Bombay and an MBA from IIM Bangalore. Worked as a marketing and general management professional for about 17 years. Have been a management consultant and corporate trainer for about 15 years. Been a visiting faculty in marketing at IIM Bangalore for many years. Have done a stint as the Head of a large, 150 year old residential public school in Ooty. Presently the Director of SDM Institute for Management Development in Mysore.

» Today management education in the country is one of the most sought-after career avenues, what makes management a hot career choice?

This is recognition of the fact that in today’s complex world, running any form of organization be it commercial, government or social, calls for knowledge and skills of managing diverse, multifunctional, often conflicting demands that will allow the best utilization of resources. Also the challenge for success is to have a good understanding of the multiple disciplines in an organization that make it work. This is an acknowledgement that these skills can be acquired in a structured and systematic manner.

» These days, many engineering and technology graduates embark on a career in management education. What USP they posses which make them stand out from the crowd?

The engineering / technology background helps students in the analytical area of management – to work with numbers, look at trends and patterns to define problems, identify various options, possible solutions and implications of various options.

» Owing to the Government’s flexible policy, dozens of private players have come into the picture, how do you see the pros and cons of this trend?

The pros – more high quality education possibilities for a large part of population that did not get access to it earlier. More resources invested in education from the private sector that supplements government efforts in education.  More competition in education and hence a better deal for students. The cons – there is a need for regulation to ensure that students are not short changed. While this would be a commercial proposition for promoters, the interests of the students should be protected through proper controls and norms and strict penalties for failure. There must also be transparency of operations so that students know what to expect and what they are getting.

» How have the requirements of the business industry evolved over the years, how effective are our methodologies to address them and how best can management hopefuls handle the newest requirements of the business industry?

In the continuously evolving business environment I believe we have been coping well, especially in the last fifteen years or so wince the opening up of the Indian economy. India has made its mark in the Indian MNC space, IT and BPO, talent at all levels. Till recently we were acknowledged in the lower levels of software development. Now we have enough representation at the board level of international organizations. Our challenge will be to keep up the pace with the fast changing world and hope high quality management education permeates down in the country beyond the IIMs and foreign educated Indian professionals.

» Over the years, it has been noticed, many students have been flocking to foreign shores for management degrees, what makes you think that Indian education stands out at par with them? What have been your efforts in this regard?

I believe good quality education in India is as good as anywhere in the world. The problem is that for a country of our size, the availability is very small as compared to the availability in the west. There is just not enough in the country to go around and hence the clamour for the west where it is much easier to access high quality education for a price. What we are trying to do is to internationalize our education so that our students get to be in tune with the world. This would be done through student and faculty exchange programmes and the like.

» What do you feel are the key-skills one needs to have to script a success story in this field?

Many skills are required. To name a few beyond the obvious : Humility and respect for others ; an open mind and eagerness to learn from anyone , anytime ; attention to details and commitment to excellence – not doing things half heartedly but with full involvement to desire to do the best ; ambitious yet patient and tolerant. These are but a few.

» It’s surely good times ahead for management education in the country, still a large chunk of aspirants for this field think of management training as a costly affair, what do you feel about this? Any suggestions to this lot to combat this issue?

Management education does seem expensive especially considering the cost of education at the school and under graduate level. It is also true that the returns are also high through good post MBA salaries. Thus it is about the ability to mobilize finances to go through the education. Support must be given to deserving students through scholarships, loans, internships and so on. I believe the current level of fees is required for colleges to deliver high quality education, provide good facilities and infrastructure etc. We all know that in today’s world due to rapid obsolescence there is a continuous need to invest in technology and facilities. This costs money.

» For more than a decade, SDM has been active in the field of imparting management education. How has been the response of the industry and students to its efforts?

SDMIMD has established its name amongst its students, alumni and recruiters. Our recruiters come back year after year to take students from our campus. They find that SDMIMD students have their feet on the ground. They are sincere workers committed to their organizations. This is part of the values we communicate in our campus and through the mission of our college and our promoters – The Dharmasthala Trust. In short, we practice what we preach. Our aim is to provide students with the right attitude – with ethics and values. Our formula is Ethics + Values = Attitude.

» What role do you foresee for India’s GenNext managers in the global arena? Any suggestions to our future managers?

The current generation is already playing a prominent role in the global arena. For our future managers – Be positive and have faith in yourself. We are as good as anyone in the world. This confidence in self must be matched with competence and skills and the right attitude. As mentioned earlier, there is no substitute for sincerity, hard work, humility, respect for others, tolerance and open mind. Always look for opportunities to learn. Wherever you are, ask you – what have I done or contributed to so that I leave this place well than it was when I came here.

(DOU 28092007)

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(As told to Ahmad Shariq Khan)