Sep 16, 2003 05:21 PM
13961 Views
(Updated Oct 13, 2003 04:32 PM)
We came, we saw, we conquered a million hearts..
And incidentally, we also got dream jobs !
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I am talking about a B-school called SPJIMR - well known in MBA circles but somewhat non-descript to people away from it. The year was May 2001. I was working in one of India's most reputed s/w companies and was doing reasonably well for myself. However I sensed the urge to ''move on'' and like millions before me, felt the hour had come to learn to ''manage the world”. Since the IIMs didn’t feel I was anywhere near managerial material, I had to accept the offer from SPJIMR :-) In hindsight , all I can say is that this was probably the best thing ever to happen to me (Believe it , it aint sour grapes) Two years later, today as I step into the mean corporate world, I have learnt so much and I owe it all to the institute.
Treating SPJIMR as a black box, I can say that the input is perfect. The prerequisite is that the candidate has to have a basic minimum score in CAT. Then the application form is thoroughly scrutinized and analyzed to see if his/her profile fits into the institute's culture. (believe me, its true since I was part of ADMISSIONS COMMITTEE which I will explain later) Then the candidate's performance is evaluated in a GROUP INTERVIEW process. This process has its baiters but it works. Candidates are aware of how they perform vis a vis their competitors, besides the fact that they feel comfortable sitting in a group whilst facing the panel. GDs are not encouraged since SPJIMR believes that this leads to people getting aggressive and not displaying their ''true selves''. Then the personal interview takes place and the results are announced. SPJIMR is fully merit based and there are no reservations even for SC and ST students.
The output from the institute is a fine set of well groomed managers who land up with fabulous jobs in reputed firms both within the country and in foreign shores. SPJIMR is only 20 years old so it does not have the alumni strength of the IIMs but names like PRADEEP KAR and SUNIL LULLA should ring a bell. The best thing about SPJIMR is that it creates managers who excel in diverse fields - it encourages its students to discover themselves so much so that SIDDHARTH SURYANARAYAN, batch of 2001 who was CNBC manager of the year went on to join Mani Ratnam as an asst director and is today one of Tamil filmdom’s most promising heroes.. And don’t be surprised if yours truly is directing movie a few years from now.. Hope u got my point :-))
So what is it that makes SPJIMR tick? Like all B-schools, students do attend classes and are taught MARKETING, FINANCE, INFORMATION MANAGEMENT, OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT and the works but what is learnt outside class is much more than what is learnt inside. The batch selected every year is so diverse - be it in work experience, cultural background or educational qualifications that its very difficult to find such a rare combination anywhere except probably at ISB. For ex: in my batch of 132 , we had a 28 year old with 5 yrs exp from Mahindra Tractor, a 21 year young crazy with B.A (Japanese), a 26 year old guy with an MS from the US, a dude with 3 years of exp in media and advertising, a guy who had served 3 years in the Indian Railways.. And do I need to add that what we learnt from their experiences in life were invaluable. Besides this, the innovative pedagogy that SPJIMR prescribes focuses very much on group work and field assignments. So theoretical knowledge is really put to the test.
The best innovative practices however are what are called ADMAP and DOCC.
ADMAP (Assessment and development of managerial potential) gives students a chance to derive hands on experience working while studying. The entire batch is divided into 10 committees and they RUN the college - everything from academics, placements , admissions, PR, events, culturals, sports, trait development etc. I was part of ADMISSIONS COMMITTEE and was involved in diverse activities like brochures and forms development, conducting counselling sessions, co-coordinating interviews and managing the entire admission process.
DOCC (Development of corporate citizenship) is a 6 week project with an NGO or the social wing of a corporate that all students have to necessarily complete as part of their course . SPJIMR firmly believes that managers have a responsibility to give back to society. I did my project with an NGO called RURAL INNOVATIONS NETWORK in the villages of Tamil Nadu where we aided in the incubation and commercialization of field level innovations. It was a very humbling experience and those 6 weeks have left their indelible mark on me.
Besides all this, since SPJIMR is a fully residential institute and since 3 people share a room {two is company , three is a circus, aint it :-)} the bonding that happens is to be seen to be believed. I had visited my friend in one of the IIMs and was shocked to see that the guy in the adjoining room didn’t know him. At SPJIMR, my roomie knew everything from my first crush , to my sentimental songs and my favorite food. WE WERE FAMILY !
But SPJIMR is not without its fair share of minuses. In fact, it has quite a few serious ones too.
The faculty as in any second tier B school (Non IIMA, B, C, ISB) is just above average. Research by the faculty is almost negligible and their consulting is low key.
Located in Mumbai has its pros and cons - while we do attract the best from industry to lecture and teach, we do not have spacious grounds, big buildings - SPJIMR lacks infrastructure.Though the library boasts of 15000 titles, it pales in comparison to IIMAs mammoth library.
Industry interaction is high but tie ups with foreign universities through exchange programs are missing.
In these days of media influencing public perception very strongly, SPJIMR continues to remain low key on PR preferring to let its products do the talking which doesn’t work all the time.
Inspite of all this, if you are looking for a different kind of MANAGEMENT EDUCATION, the kind which does not produce DOG EAT DOG managers but produces managers with a heart, then SPJIMR is the place for you !
