When BITS School of Management (BITSoM) was launched in 2021, there were sceptics all around. Can a new B-school, launched at the peak of COVID second wave, actually break into the top league of B-schools- they asked.
Agreed, BITSoM had a few things going for it. First, BITSoM was promoted by a top corporate -- Aditya Birla Group. Then, it had the academic pedigree of BITS Pilani, a revered Tech-school. Further, Dr Ranjan Banerjee, who made a big impact at SPJIMR, had agreed to lead it.
But still detractors pointed to the many Corporate-backed Mega Universities, launched in last decade, that had failed to make an impact. Massive increase in access to Digital courses by world’s leading universities targeting Indian students was a big concern too.
In this setting, most management watchers were surprised when BITSoM got off to a good start in 2021. The first batch started in July 2021. BITSoM managed to attract bright students from some of the top universities and Tech-schools. In December 2021, BITSoM broke the news that it had completed 100% summer placement with a median stipend of Rs.1.50 lakhs for two months. Is this a flash in pan, asked the naysayers. In 2022 too, BITSoM has built on the success and has registered 33% increase in median salary for the second 2022-24 batch which has gone up at Rs. 2.0 lakhs for two months.
So, the obvious question is, what is propelling BITSoM, slowly but surely, into the orbit of Top B-schools in India? What is their secret sauce? MBAUniverse.com decided to uncover the building block of BITSoM’s success. We researched information in public domain, conducted detailed Interview, got Student Feedback, and a lot more, to get a good grip on the ‘BITSoM formula.’ Once you understand it, BITSoM Success Strategy is quite simple, but powerful. Like any great Strategy, it leverages its unique strengths, and exploits the weaknesses of its opponents. And like a Flywheel, outlined in Jim Collins classic ‘Good to Great’, the success builds on itself – and gathers more pace.
So here it is…! Let’s start with the Core Objective that BITSoM has set out to achieve, and the Building Blocks.
BITSoM Mumbai MBA Admission 2023 Open: Apply Now
Focus on Great Learning Experience
Most newly launched B-schools spell out goals like – we want to be in Top 10 or Top 20 Rankings. But it seems BITSoM is not chasing Rankings and Accreditations. Its core matrix is quality of Learning Experience, which they are trying to achieve by building a great MBA program, and not by any gimmick or a shortcut.
The centre piece of BITSoM’s success strategy is to provide a great Learning Experience to its MBA Students. This is a smart strategy, but a tough one to execute. If students are groomed well, and are excited about their experience, it takes care of two of the biggest challenges that any B-school faces – Placements and Admissions, and they both build on each other. But this approach requires a great focus on everyday execution, and also a grand strategy.
“BITSoM places primary focus on the learning experience of the students. The entire curriculum and pedagogy are designed to enhance the learning experience,” says BITSoM Dean Dr Ranjan Banerjee. How does BITSoM achieve this superior learning experience. Well, by simply focussing on ‘Input’ and the ‘Academic Processes’. “Academic is the core to BITSoM,” says Dean Banerjee.
Small, Diverse, Batch helps
Even before it comes to Academics, BITSoM is focussed on the first, and very important, piece of its student experience puzzle – the student itself.
With a focus on imparting a great learning experience to its each student, BITSoM Mumbai has kept its batch size small. While the first MBA 2021-23 batch had 138 students, the second MBA 2022-24 batch comprises of 132 students. This is much less than total number of students enrolled in any of the Top 20 B-schools, where the average intake is about 400 students.
What is interesting is that BITSoM has focussed on student quality and diversity from the word go. Thousands of candidates from leading educational institutions like IITs, NITs, BITS, SRCC, HR College, NMIMS, St. Xaviers had applied for admission at BITSoM Mumbai, as BITSoM is mindful of the quality and diversity of applicants.
BITSoM has also focussed on diversity. For 2022-24 batch, 68% of the class comes from engineering background and 32% are non-engineers. On gender diversity, 36% of class comprises of Women. About 25% of class are freshers. The profile of class of ‘24 is very similar to class of ‘23.
Curriculum is King
BITSoM curriculum, which was designed even before the first student applied, is a key pillar of the learning experience and attracted the student in the first place.
BITSoM curriculum is designed to reflect the inputs of industry leaders who are best placed to say what fresh MBA graduates need to know. The curriculum was designed to go beyond the traditional MBA with a focus on technology and a focus on developing soft skills among its students.
In addition to the traditional foundational courses, the biggest differentiator of BITSoM’s Curriculum is the integration of Liberal Arts into its MBA curriculum. Through a unique set of courses titled ‘Winning at the Workplace’, BITSoM brings a deep focus on building emotional intelligence and workplace skills. Courses on Workplace Essentials, Life Skills, Global Perspectives and Contextual Perspectives are taught as part of this intervention. Personal Growth and Transformation, Whole Brain Thinking, Navigating Reason, Design Thinking, Expressions through Theatre etc, are some courses that are aimed at creating self-aware leaders who are equipped with emotional intelligence along with technical abilities.
“We are not only teaching our students how to solve structured problems, but also how to tackle unstructured and semi-structured ones. In many of these circumstances, the most crucial and challenging component of the problem is the problem definition itself,” says Dean Banerjee.
Technology as a ‘Horizontal’ not ‘Vertical’
BITSoM has a strong focus on digital transformation because the students must be able to comprehend the transformative power of digital across industries, as well as how business models are being transformed in various industries.
In this context, what makes the BITSoM curriculum unique is the way it has been designed for the modern world of business and management. “One of the issues with the B-schools today is that their curriculum is geared towards the industrial world. People often look at Technology as a vertical specialisation when it should be regarded as horizontal. BITSoM offers digital courses in areas such as data analytics, digital transformation, and artificial intelligence. We’re not just teaching analytics as a set of tools and techniques; we’re also connecting business decision-making to analytics,” says Dean Banerjee
Faculty is the Queen
Having a great contemporary curriculum is laudable, but is only half the story. In their oft quoted book Rethinking the MBA, Prof Srikant Datar and others wrote, “At the level of content -- particularly the Core Curriculum and the subjects covered – we found programs to be much alike. Schools offer the same basic mix of requirements, with coverage of many of the same topics…” So, how does BITSoM actually achieve a great learning experience.
Revealing his strategy, Dean Banerjee says, “We have a world-class faculty to deliver the curriculum.” This is how BITSoM is attempting to deliver an unparalleled learning experience to its students.
The key to an unmatched learning experience is indeed the faculty. Our research reveals that a lot of thought has been given to the faculty dimension at BITSoM. It appears that there are three building blocks:
- International Faculty
- CXOs as Practitioner Faculty
- Residential Faculty
Let’s explore each dimension in some detail.
International Rock-Stars actually teach at BITSoM
How else can you describe this line up! Dean of Oxford’s Said Business School, Prof Soumitra Dutta teaches Digital Business and Innovation at BITSoM. Prof Nirmalya Kumar, Professor of Marketing at Singapore Management University, teaches Advanced Marketing strategy to BITSoM students. Prof Ziv Katalan from Wharton teaches Decision models and uncertainty, and Prof Mark Finn from Kellogg teaches Financial Accounting and Decision Making.
But do these stalwarts actually teach a Course, or are they just ceremonial embellishment giving a few online talks? When MBAUniverse.com asked BITSoM for a list of international faculties who have actually travelled to India to teach a course at BITSoM, we were happy to see this list (below) of well-respected Prof who have taught a course at BITSoM!
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International Faculty
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Designation & Institution
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Course taught at BITSoM
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Ziv Katalan
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Adjunct Professor of Operations Wharton Business School
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Decision models and Uncertainty
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Mark Finn
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Clinical Professor of Accounting Kellogg School of Management
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Financial Accounting and Decision Making
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Nirmalya Kumar
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Professor of Marketing Singapore Management University
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Advanced Marketing Strategy
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Vera Tilson
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Associate Professor of Operations University of Rochester
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Operations Management
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Raj Raghunathan
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Professor of Business University of Texas at Austin
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Well-Being and Success; Consumer Behavior
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Gerard George
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Professor of Management McDonough School of Business
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Foundations of Entrepreneurship
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Kapil R Tuli
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Professor of Marketing, Lee Kong Chian School of Business, SMU
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Crafting and Delivering Services
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Luis Martins
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Professor of Management University of Texas at Austin
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Organizational Behaviour
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No wonder, the students are thrilled to be learning with the faculty from world’s best B-schools. They are excited about the fact that they receive the same quality of learning experience as that of a student at a top global B-school.
Arvind Raghu, Class of 2023 who attends the course offered by Prof Nirmalya Kumar said, “Prof Nirmalya Kumar gave us real-life insights stemming from his diverse work experience across sectors along with practical frameworks he'd developed over years. The way he linked finance to define marketing strategies was the biggest takeaway for our class.”
Poorva Mahara, Class of 2024, BITSoM said, “Prof Vera Tilson’s passion for teaching is enthralling. She is kind, patient, and an amazing educator who encourages students to learn further from each other's past work experiences. She transitioned theory into practical understanding through class discussions and virtual simulations.”
BITSoM Mumbai MBA Admission 2023 Open: Apply Now
CXOs as Practitioner Faculty
Global faculty teaching at BITSoM is ably supplemented by senior business practitioners who combine the academic rigour with industry practices. Nitin Paranjape, CEO and Founder, MaxOffice Services teaches a course on Work Efficiency Essentials at BITSOM.
Some of the other CXOs who teach at BITSoM include: Nish Bhutani, Founder and CEO, Indiginus; Reena V Mithal, Managing Partner, Sankhya Capital; Shamika Ravi, Former Director of Research, Brookings India; Amrita Gupta, Data and Accountability Lead- Generation Equality Forum, Global Fund for Women and Avantika Tomar, Partner, EY – Parthenon.
Residential Faculty competes the jigsaw puzzle
Combination of International Faculty, Practitioner Faculty and Residential Faculty contributes towards creating a wholesome learning experience at BITSoM. Residential faculty include Prof Leena Chatterjee, Professor of Organizational Behaviour, BITSoM and Prof Sathyajit Gubbi, Associate Professor of Strategy, BITSoM.
With a Ph.D. in Social and Organizational Psychology from IIT Kanpur, Prof. Leena Chatterjee has taught at IIM Calcutta for almost 36 years. She is a Professor of the Organization Behaviour group and teaches Personal Growth and Transformation, Managing Teams and Cultures, and Effective interpersonal relationships at BITSoM. She joined BITSoM as a permanent faculty member in July 2021. With a Ph.D. in Strategic Management from IIM Calcutta and bachelor's in chemical engineering from IIT Bombay, Dr Sathyajit Gubbi brings over 11 years of rich teaching experience with prestigious institutes in the US and Netherlands, and 10 years of experience in the corporate sector from different parts of the world. His research has been published in Organization Science, Long Range Planning, and the Journal of International Business Studies.
Focus on Soft Skills and Self Development
Soft skills are what set the best-performing employees apart. In fact, they’re so essential that a LinkedIn research found that when new employees don’t last at a company, 89% of the time it’s because they lack soft skills.
BITSoM curriculum is designed to fulfil this important workplace requirement. At BITSoM, Winning at the Workplace (WAW) module runs parallel to the core MBA course module through the duration of the two-year MBA programme and aid students in developing essential proficiencies crucial for managers and leaders in a workplace. It is a crucial part and differentiating factor of BITSoM curriculum. It helps the students hone their communication and interpersonal skills, chisel their social and leadership abilities and sharpen their critical thinking for better problem solving.
The WAW courses are taught by professors and industry professionals who are experts in their field. Some of the courses are:
- Government, Society and business, taught by A K Shiva Kumar
- Network Science, taught by Dinesh Mehta
- Well-being and Success, taught by Raj Raghunathan
- Work Efficiency Essentials, taught by Nitin Paranjape
- Personal Growth and Transformation, taught by Leena Chatterjee
- Ethics in Management, taught by Morgen Witzel
Tailored Personal Development Programme for every Student
Another curriculum differentiation at BITSoM is the unique Personal Development Programme, especially created for each and every BITSoM Student!
Prof Leena Chatterjee, BITSoM faculty of Organisation Behaviour, spearheads this initiative. The process involves taking psychometric tests, getting feedback from people who know you well to first answer – Who am I? The next step is to figure out where you want to go or your goals, what is the role or industry that you want to work in? BITSoM faculty will have a 1-on-1 session with each student and help them to understand their choices in the context of their own strengths, skills, and personality. This also helps students in identifying the gaps between where they are and where they want to go.
Corporate Mentors & BITS Alumni groom student
The learning journey for BITSoM doesn’t end with PDP! Students are put into a corporate mentoring program where each student is assigned to a mentor. Mentors are highly successful corporate leaders from companies like Google, Sequoia, Vodafone, Asian Paints etc. Each student is assigned to a mentor, and mentoring enhances real world awareness, and helps students to further hone their strengths.
Another aspect of student learning is that BITSoM has been enthusiastically supported by senior BITS alumni. Many senior alumni take time to mentor BITSoM students. Celebrated BITS alumni like Preetish Nijhawan (known for co-founding Akamai Technologies), Hari Menon (Co-founder of BigBasket), Revathy Advaithy (CEO of Flex, a global manufacturing company) serve on its governing Council. Some world class academics are also BITS alumni, and alumni like Raj Raghunathan and Gerry George have added a lot of value to BITSoM's faculty pool.
Early Outcomes are encouraging…
So, while two years is a short time in a journey of an institution, what are some of the outcomes achieved by BITSoM’s unique strategy that focusses on learning experience?
Students are much more focussed on career outcomes. While BITSoM is yet to announce the Final placements of its Founding batch, it has a strong track-record of summer placements for two batches now.
Being a new B-school in its first year, BITSoM summer placements for first batch (2021-23) were at par with the new IIMs. The Average Stipend for the class was Rs 161,610, while the average stipend for Top 10% was at Rs 301,538! Top global Companies including Bain & Co, Kearney, Hindustan Unilever, Arthur D Little, Deloitte, KPMG, Aditya Birla Group, PWC, Nivea, The Hershey Company, Pidilite, ICICI bank participated in the first ever summer internship placements at BITSoM.
For the second batch (2022-24), BITSoM is nearing completion of its summer internship process at the time of writing this article. 46 companies have so far participated in the BITSoM summer placement process for the class of 131 students. The average stipend for the students placed stands at Rs 2.02 lakhs. Top recruiters include Bain & Co., BCG, Kearney, EY, Arthur D Little, PwC, ICICI Bank, Yes Bank, Cervin, Merisis Advisors, Steer Advisors, Eight Capital, Avista Advisory, Unilever, Pidilite, Nestle, Signify, Redbull, Aditya Birla Group, More Retail, Optum Global, Media.net, TTEC, Big Basket, Fan Play IOT, Tiger Analytics among others.
Srikar V Chintalagiri, a student from the founding batch, was one of the 100 students selected globally to attend the 51st St. Gallen's Symposium in Switzerland. Every year, 100 students are selected globally as Leaders of Tomorrow through Global Essay Competition.
So, while BITSoM is still work in progress, developments over the last two years give us hope that sceptics will be proven wrong -- this time. MBAUniverse.com will continue to review and report on the latest developments. Meanwhile, admissions for BITSoM MBA 2023-25 batch are open - Apply Now.
Stay tuned to MBAUniverse.com for latest updates on MBA Admissions.
