What’s common among Jyotiradiya Scindia, Jitin Prasada, Sachin Pilot, Navin Jindal and P Chidambaram, apart from holding the Ministerial positions in Government of India?
The answer lies in the fact that they are all MBAs who have earned good reputation as Ministers.
Try to remember a particular tea commercial which questions the capability of a politician to run the country with good governance. Wouldn’t an MBA turned politician better manage the Politics and unruly behavior of politicians; better manage the resources, better manage the economy, provide better governance, be better protector of democracy, better manage international affairs; better manage the law related issues. Even numbers of the top bureaucrats like IAS, IPS either leaves the job or take study leave to pursue MBA. The power of knowledge overcomes the power of the post and this fact is well known.
It’s not that India doesn’t have MBAs in Parliament and Government. But the thing is except a few, most of them have earned it from foreign B schools. How far it is relevant in Indian context, is yet to be assessed. Mr. P. Chidambaram has earned his MBA from Harvard Business School; Mr Mallipudi Raju Pallam Mangapati from Temple University Philadelphia; Mr. Jyotiraditya Scindia from Stanford University; Mr. Sachin Pilot from Wharton; Mr. Jitin Prasada from IMI Delhi and Mr. Mukul Wasnik from Nagpur. So out of the 6 only 2 did their MBA in India.
MBA in Politics; India vs foreign universities
MBA even in top rated B schools like IIMs, FMS, IIFT, XLRI, MDI has number of specialized programmes as Human resources, Finance, Marketing, Operations, Family business and so on, but probably there is no MBA programme which projects politics as a career or provides some dual degree in Political solutions with MBA; good Governance with MBA; Economy management with MBA. There are programmes for company’s Human Resource Management but do we have MBA programmes on country’s Human resource management; their specific needs and how to manage the regional social needs effectively.
On the other hand, number of foreign universities like Claremont University, Newyork University has effectively evolved such favorite programmes as MBA in Politics or MBA in Political science giving a clear picture to make career in politics.
Are the Indian B schools afraid of evolving such programmes for fear of unsocialistic elements getting into them and fear of indiscipline, or they do not have sufficient ways & means to develop such programmes or simply they do not have a ‘will’ to evolve them. Have politics of India banned the IIMs and other top rated B schools from launching such programmes.
Ironically, Indian politicians and people apart from educated lot conveniently quote progress made by foreign countries in various sectors especially in education but nothing has been thought of providing management education in politics.
Need for MBA in politics is more than earlier
Indian politics has been the house of lawyers and still continues to be so. Right from the period of freedom struggle when law degree was the weapon to fight against the unruly British Law, eminent freedom fighters like Mahatma Gandhi, Pt Moti Lal Nehru, Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru, Dr Shyama Prasada Mookerjee, Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel, M A Jinnah, got themselves equipped with graduation in Law, present parliament also have more lawyers like Arun Jaitley, Kapil Sibal, Salman Khurshid, A K Antony, P Chidambaram. In all 75 out of 543 Lok Sabha members and 73 of 244 members of Rajya Sabha are the law degree holders. The debates in Parliament are sometimes not so focused on the path of development as they get entangled in various provisions of law instead of efficiently managed issues.
The need is to target and manage various issues prevailing and needing redressal. They will surely be better managed by more skilled management professionals.
How can an MBA do better?
India needs the skills and vision that MBAs have and with the advancement of democracy different types of people are needed. Apart from managing various political programmes and agenda, growth path can also be better understood by an MBA to improve efficiency.
Governments need politicians who can understand and are comfortable interacting with the business community with a view to accelerate economic growth and to maximize social welfare with the resources so generated. There comes the need of an MBA who is also a politician.
Indian Political scene doesn’t definitely want a traditional MBA skilled in analyzing data as these functions can be handled by other skilled professionals. Country needs contextual intelligence. MBA education is not a standard set of knowledge but it fosters leadership skills and inspires self development. The specific MBA Programme in politics will plug in the gap which India still has. What is needed to improve the business skill set is also needed to improve ethical politics skill set.
With more MBAs, it is possible that various industries and sectors controlled by the Government and suffering losses might be revived without injecting huge money. Subsidies might vanish and prices may come down. Modernization of loss making services like Railways, Roadways and waterways may take some shape which would help them to come out of recurring losses. Thousands of crores waived in the name of Agriculture Debt Relief may not be required to be waived again.
Top B schools to take the initiative
The saying ‘Old is Gold’ is not without substance. MBA in politics or associated subjects will give a new dimension to Indian politics. IIMs and other top rated B schools who have always pioneered such initiatives should move forward and share the responsibility to evolve well thought of MBA programmes in Politics. It’s a big responsibility to see, manage and implement and a good management professional in the relevant field may definitely do better.
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