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Shubhadeep Sarkar
“Old order changeth, yielding place to new…”
- Lord Alfred Tennyson
The world has very successfully redefined itself of late. This face of the earth was so far hidden from the realm of humanity. Competition finds itself at the zenith. Buying and selling have left the markets and become the part and parcel of life. A doctor sells himself to retain his patients and attract more.
A sportsman sells himself by performing in the National Level to reach the International Hall of Fame. A student sells himself in the interview to get the seat in one of the best-known institutions of the world. They call it The Corporate World… where factors like price and quality hold but mere importance vis-à-vis the big name – BRAND.
In this scenario, expansion of horizons becomes the name of the game. The Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) are not left far behind. The IITs, renowned for producing techies of worldwide fame, have ventured into the domain of management. Technology and Management together – sounds awkward, eh? Not at all! For right from the inception of management, technology has been its counterpart and raison d’être – its very reason for existence.
When Frederick Taylor, one of the forbearers of management, laid down the Principles of Scientific Management in 1911, he believed management to be a pure science. Later, the human factor continued to pour in. However, the role of Science and Technology in Management is undoubtedly, inseparable. This is the very reason why courses like Economics and Organizational Behavior, which are not considered as core engineering subjects, are taken as mandatory courses in almost all engineering colleges throughout the world. So if we can go for a couple of managerial subjects, why not go for the entire course?
Today, it is not uncommon to observe massive diversification in all spheres. ITC Wills, after the huge success of its brand of cigarettes Navy Cut and Silk Cut, used the same name for its range of sports apparel and formals as Wills Lifestyle. Kingfisher, known to be one of the best brands worldwide for beer, did well in the Mineral Water and Club Soda industry as well. The list of such examples is endless.
The only reason for success of all of these firms is that they had already won the hearts of the masses by one product. Similar is the world of education, where the IITs have proven themselves worldwide by producing masterminds. Organizations throughout the globe have immense faith in IITians.
It’s a fact that globally, IITs are a much bigger brand name than any other Indian educational institute because of their rich ancestry. IITs are recognized by anybody and everybody. Why not use this brand image to impinge upon the new domain of management? Managers from IIT will be internationally recognized than any other institute because of the same faith that corporations have in IIT. This is brand building!
Finally, it’s a common fallacy that the IITs are the predecessors of Management in Technological institutes that they may or may not succeed. The truth, however, is quite different. One of the pioneers in this field is none other than the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the undoubted worldwide leader in its field.
MIT entered the realm of management with the inception of the Sloan School of Management, which today produces one of the best managers in the world. Universities at Purdue and Mississippi have also followed suite. A noted example will be of the Harvard University, a premier name in the B-School world that has opted to go into technical courses. Should the IITs be left behind in the field of management which has a tremendous potential in the corporate world as well as education and research? Never! This is a loss not just to The Institute, but to the Nation in totality.
Only by competing with the world in the rat race that is marked by the survival of the fittest, we can stand as a brand apart like we always have since the birth of the Indian Institutes of Technology. Stagnancy in what we are, on the other hand, will lead only to brand dilution.
In fact, a very good upcoming school of thought is that the IITs should venture into the field of law too, which is in fact already taking shape. Foraying into new educational grounds will leave a broader global footprint for the IITs. This, in my view, is the only key for us to lead India into the heaven of freedom that Tagore dreamt of,
“Where the mind is without fear,
And the head is held high…”
Class of 2008
IIT Kharagpur, Vinod Gupta School of Management
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(18 votes, average: 4.5 out of 5)
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August 9th, 2006 at 1:49 am
nice job man!
August 9th, 2006 at 3:17 am
Performance speaks for itself when it comes to managers produced by the IITs. The legacy of these esteemed institutes continues. There’s no need for any justification !
August 9th, 2006 at 9:44 am
A very well written article Shubhadeep…..IITs shall sure give sleepless nights to other so-called well established b-schools……..its only a matter of a few years.
August 9th, 2006 at 10:12 am
Sarkar
Insightful. Well written!!! Good examples of Brand Extension , both from the Corporate and Academic world. Good Job!!!! IIT will be proud of you.
Cheers!!!
August 9th, 2006 at 10:56 am
Yeah, I agree with the view that extension of the IIT brand name into other spheres does not dilute the brand name. Its a basic extension of a good brand name to other domains. The IIT brand name is already well established as a premier institute for quality education.
Keep up the good work.
August 9th, 2006 at 11:55 am
Nice work Sarkar….Well conceived n well executed …Sign of a manger to be !!!!!
August 9th, 2006 at 12:30 pm
Keep up the good work
August 9th, 2006 at 1:29 pm
Hey Shubha,
Very well laid out, the first para is kinda abstruse but the rest is good, I seriously wonder what detractors of this thought have to say after your exposition!
Keep it going.
Sahil
August 9th, 2006 at 2:20 pm
Nice article Subhdeep.
August 9th, 2006 at 2:43 pm
Second article from our college in this forum…….thats very impressive……and I do feel that more articles should come up from the rest of us…….
Mr. Sarkar
The article is well written……keep up the good work buddy…..
August 9th, 2006 at 11:55 pm
not bad for a guy who usually whips out pjs at 4am!
dint know an ‘iit bschools r a brnd dilution’ thingy was doing the rounds…good retort dude.
wont comment on the article, thats been done, but liked the ease with which its written btw, most ppl unnecessariyl complicate it by using jargon n esoteric language. wat crap!
kepp trippin!:)
-A.
August 27th, 2006 at 1:41 pm
hi sarkar,
well said friend.mba at IIT,s is more of brand building than brand dilution.everyone will see how IIT will give IIM,s a run for their money.
September 2nd, 2006 at 5:56 pm
Well.. Truely said…IITans have proved themselves in each and every field they have ventured into..great going technomangers
September 10th, 2006 at 3:33 am
Its a well written piece and Sarkar had done a good job. Management Programs of IIT’s are really doing good. Its already proved that IITs can produce Managers who can perform both functional and techonfuncational jobs. Its considered to be a well executed step towards Brand Diversification.
October 15th, 2006 at 4:45 am
Your article is excellant.
In this modern world the art of Management has become a part and parcel of everyday life, be it at home, in the office or factory and in Government. In all organizations, where a group of human beings assemble for a common purpose irrespective of caste, creed, and religion, management principles come into play through the management of resources, finance and planning, priorities, policies and practice. Management is a systematic way of carrying out activities in any field of human effort.
Its task is to make people capable of joint performance, to make their weaknesses irrelevant, says the Management Guru Peter Drucker. It creates harmony in working together - equilibrium in thoughts and actions, goals and achievements, plans and performance, products and markets. It resolves situations of scarcity, be they in the physical, technical or human fields, through maximum utilization with the minimum available processes to achieve the goal. Lack of management causes disorder, confusion, wastage, delay, destruction and even depression. Managing men, money and materials in the best possible way, according to circumstances and environment, is the most important and essential factor for a successful management.
Management guidelines from the Bhagavad Gita
There is an important distinction between effectiveness and efficiency in managing.
Effectiveness is doing the right things.
Efficiency is doing things right.
The general principles of effective management can be applied in every field, the differences being more in application than in principle. The Manager’s functions can be summed up as:
Forming a vision
Planning the strategy to realize the vision.
Cultivating the art of leadership.
Establishing institutional excellence.
Building an innovative organization.
Developing human resources.
Building teams and teamwork.
Delegation, motivation, and communication.
Reviewing performance and taking corrective steps when called for.
Thus, management is a process of aligning people and getting them committed to work for a common goal to the maximum social benefit - in search of excellence.
The critical question in all managers’ minds is how to be effective in their job. The answer to this fundamental question is found in the Bhagavad Gita, which repeatedly proclaims that “you must try to manage yourself.” The reason is that unless a manager reaches a level of excellence and effectiveness, he or she will be merely a face in the crowd.
February 23rd, 2007 at 1:47 pm
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