MBA'S GREAT CHALLENGE:PEPPING STUDENTS FOR UNCERTAIN WORLD

B-SCHOOLS NEED TO REINVENT THEMSELVES TO CHURN OUT TALENT THAT CAN COPE WITH VOLATILITY AND AMBIGUITY.

- AJITA SHASHIDHAR AND RUKMINI RAO

EVERY OCTOBER-NOVEMBER, India Inc. gets ready to go to business school campuses to hire new talent. On campuses, students put their best self forward to impress recruiters. School cafeterias bustle with speculation on how many would get their dream role on day-one of placement. Placement season in Bschool campuses is exciting and nerve-racking too.

There has been a 25-30% rise in MBA aspirants taking the common admission test (CAT) this year. B-schools are increasing batch sizes by more than half to accommodate more aspirants. The intent to have an MBA degree is indeed high, but reality is not as rosy. A leading consumer tech start-up, a regular at some Tier-II business schools changed its hiring strategy this year — instead of making placement offers, it decided to hire interns for six months. Students were told the company would train them, evaluate their performance and subsequently confirm employment. The HR head’s rationale was that she wasn’t sure if students had necessary skill-sets to handle complexities of a fast-growing business.