Our Mission Is To Create Cutting-Edge Management Capability: Atmanand, Director, MDI Gurgaon

MDI Gurgaon has been ranked among the top business schools in India and was the first B-school in the country to get the globally reputed AMBA accreditation. MDI is also SAQS re-accredited and has NBA re-accreditation for its programmes (PGDM, PGDM-HRM, PGDM-IM, and PGDM-NMP). All of MDI’s programmes are approved by AICTE. ATMANAND, Director, MDI Gurgaon talks to BW Businessworld’s WAQAR AHMED FAHAD about the B-school and what it has to offer, in an interview.

What is the USP of MDI? 
MDI Gurgaon has been ranked among the top business schools in India and was the first in the country to get the globally prestigious AMBA accreditation. It is also SAQS re-accredited and also has NBA re-accreditation for its programmes (PGDM, PGDM-HRM, PGDM-IM, and PGDM-NMP) and approved by AICTE.

Our strength lies in our innovative, learning oriented teaching practices and contemporary industry-specific curriculum which is strongly backed-up by our sturdy corporate interface. This unique integration of global perspective and strong industry linkages gets reflected in MDIs world-class practices. From training programmes to action-centric research and result-oriented consulting, MDI is in the spotlight of global business community for its contribution in business and economic development. Our aim is to impart quality management education. Our mission is to create cutting-edge management capability through value-based education, best global practices, action-centric research and value-adding consulting.

The various programmes offered at management colleges play a major role in shaping the leaders of tomorrow. Which courses are available at MDI? Are there any unique courses offered by your institute?
There are many courses available. They include:
Postgraduate Programme in Management (PGPM): This two year full-time course launched in 1994 is the flagship programme of MDI. It is designed to develop professional managers ready to work in responsible positions in a global environment. The meticulously structured programme is designed to nurture students and help them build and enhance their managerial competence.
Postgraduate Programme in Human Resource Management (PGP-HRM): MDI offers this programme to develop HR professionals with well-rounded business perspective. It is ‘learning centric’ and not ‘teaching centric’ involving fieldwork, case studies, business games, role plays, simulation exercises, film reviews, application of concepts and structured and unstructured group work and hands-on projects with the industry.

Postgraduate Programme in International Management (PGP-IM): Launched in 2006 and the first of its kind in India, this programme is currently offered under an arrangement with European School of Management (ESCP Europe), which has been ranked second in Europe by Financial Times this year. A dual-degree course  partly in India (MDI Gurgaon) and partly in Europe (ESCP Europe campuses), this programme prepares managers and future leaders to develop a global mind-set so as to be able to appreciate global economic, political, legal and cultural realities, build networks across geographies, and live and work across cultures. MDI is looking to add to the list of partnerships in order to offer its students greater choice of place of study.

National management Programme (NMP): MDI was the first to start a 15-month executive graduate programme in 1987 called National Management Programme (NMP). It focuses on developing visionary leaders for the rapidly changing business environment. The focus of the programme is to build skills and competencies necessary to lead change as leaders. The NMP attracts talent from diverse industries, cultures and geographies. The emphasis is on motivating the participants to integrate the concepts learned across the core curriculum and apply them to their own work experience and contemporary business practices. Group activities provide excellent opportunities to examine a business problem collectively and to learn from the varied cross-functional experiences of the participants.

Postgraduate Programme in Energy Management (PGP-EM): The energy management programme is a 15-month executive graduate programme at MDI. It prepares leaders to manage and effectively lead changes in the energy sector. The programme is uniquely designed for young managers of the energy / power & allied sectors.

Postgraduate Programme in Public Policy Management (PGP-PPM): It offers a unique integration of management concepts, tools and techniques with stress on public policy formulation, analysis and implementation, including the design and execution of delivery systems. It is a 15-month programme designed in collaboration with the Department of Personnel and Training, Government of India. The prospective participants are civil servants and public officials from central and state governments as well as participants from the development / policy sector.
PGDM (Executive Management Programme): MDI’s Postgraduate Diploma in Management (Executive Management Programme) is a rigorous, demanding and relevant programme for working executives who have no prior exposure to formal management education. The programme attracts participants with “entrepreneurial orientation’’ from the corporate world.
Fellow Programme in Management (FPM/ EFPM): MDI takes pride in its fellow programmes namely, the Fellow Programme in Management and Executive Fellow Programme in Management, which encourage rigorous interdisciplinary research in contemporary areas of management.
The FPM programme is largely residential in nature and takes three to four years to complete. Here, the scholar undergoes the course work and submits a thesis at the end of the programme. The thesis should make a significant theoretical and practical contribution to the discipline of management or to one of its source disciplines. The EFPM programme is a non-residential fellow programme designed to cater to the scholarly needs of working business executives.

The infrastructure and facilities offered by a college play a major role in helping the students with their studies. How are the facilities and the infrastructure at your institute helping the students? 
We have a 40-acre lush green campus strategically located in India’s corporate hub. This provides the MDI community a unique experience of creative environment amidst industry action. The library holds a rich collection of printed as well as electronic resources including books, journals, databases, audio-visual materials, and e-journals. It has 60,000 books while the online library portal provides access to over 17,000 international journals.

MDI has a state-of-the-art computing facility consisting of 590 PC nodes / laptops and 10 IBM Pentium based servers, and connected on a high-speed gigabit ethernet fibre optic/UTP based network in a distributed Windows XP and Linux environment. All the classrooms are equipped with projection systems and computer system with Internet connectivity. Desktops/ laptops and printers are provided to the entire MDI members with Internet/Intranet connectivity. All MDI members have access to online software package being used for student grading, feedback and administrative applications.

The campus boasts air-conditioned lecture halls, syndicate rooms, faculty and administrative blocks, a state-of-the-art computer centre, and one of the best management libraries in the country. The campus also has residential accommodation for academic and administrative staff. A golf course, lawn tennis and badminton courts, table tennis and billiard tables, as well as yoga classes, a gymnasium, recreation room, TV lounge and canteen are some of the facilities provided on campus.

Journals of every institute serve as a record of the activities and research undertaken ny it. Does MDI have a journal where its students can publish their research?
The Journal of Business Perspective is a quarterly peer-reviewed journal of MDI Gurgaon, and published by SAGE Publications. The institute is committed to developing a culture of research and publication and performs a leading role in India by publishing a peer reviewed journal, Vision: The Journal of Business Perspective. This journal is a scholastic platform for sharing  ideas, developing the culture of academic and industrial research and sparking debates through publishing articles of varied genre in one go. As the journal covers a wide range of topics, it is gaining popularity in the corporate world as well. Vision is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). The journal is published in March, June, September and December every year.