Research in Indian Business Schools: Challenges and Future Directions

ANUP K. SINGH, PH.D.

Living in the Knowledge Economy

The 21st century is characterised by the knowledge economy which, in turn, requires higher level thinking, problem solving, communication, creativity and innovation skills along with advanced knowledge

In order to thrive today, one needs higher education, especially in fields which are market-linked. Availability of managerial manpower is a strong indicator of the competitive knowledge economy. World Economic Forum includes good management schools in computing the competitiveness of nations

In recognition of higher education as a lever of the knowledge economy, the Government of India constituted National Knowledge Commission in 2005 under the Chairmanship of Sam Pitroda. The Commission recommended major changes in the system of higher education, including management education

In the last two and a half decades, management education in India has grown by leaps and bounds. Today India has almost 3,500 B-schools under different governance systems. This makes India the second largest provider of MBA education, after the United States

By all counts, management education will prosper in the future. The existing b-schools are increasing their seats, while new b-schools are also being increasingly established

While business education has emerged as the darling of the youth, there are a host of issues about its relevance, utility, theoretical foundations, and research-oriented knowledge base

Our Past Legacy

India was a poor country, devoid of scientific, technical and managerial resources. With its limited resources, it focussed on industrial production than knowledge development. Although several national institutions of higher learning were created in the 60s and 70s, they excelled in attracting the brightest and best minds rather than in conducting world class research

It followed a path of borrowed knowledge by buying technology rather than developing it. It imported “Know-how”. Although we depended on western know-how, we did not emulate their knowledge creation institutions and processes

The Government got research done through the CSIR labs and other centrally established organisations rather than getting it done through universities and other educational institutions

As her scientific and technical manpower grew, India focussed on research and development for import substitution

Indian companies followed almost the same model and invested a minuscule in research. They preferred to buy technology rather than to develop it

The same trend can be observed in management education. We brought or bought American texts and instructional materials

Our higher education is generally delivered in English. However, the effective teaching of English in primary and secondary education is restricted in certain pockets. Poor command over English language further weakened thinking and writing further reducing research productivity

Professional associations also implicitly followed the model of import know-how and did not vigorously promote and argue for knowledge creation and strengthening scholarship in the institution of higher learning

Some Indian authors wrote Indian text which were more like “import substitution” than being original and different, as there was weak knowledge base available

It not clear that we cannot live with our past legacy if India wants to be active player in the International arena and be among leaders in the knowledge economy. Higher activities in research and development sector are closely associated with the knowledge economy

Purpose of Institutions of Professional Education

Provide Instruction and Training To advance Knowledge The former leads to technical capital, while

the latter is conducive to intellectual capital Technical capital is essential for

performance of an existing high skill job. It enhances the employability of an individual as well as fulfills the manpower needs of the corporate world. On the other hand, intellectual capital is a sine qua non for innovation which contributes to technological and economic development of the society

As a corollary, a faculty member has the core responsibilities of teaching and research

Public Vs. Private Good In Professional Education

Provide Instruction and Training (Private Good)

To advance Knowledge (Public Good)

However, can any b-school worth its salt afford to neglect research?

The Triangle of Individual, Industry and Society

Individual

Industry Society

ManagementEducation

And Research

Research in Business Education

Just as there are host of issues about business education, research is also questioned on practical, theoretical, and methodological relevance, rigour, and effectiveness

The amount of research output is too little. We need more quantity and quality

There is dearth of good business doctoral education. Hence, poor research and writing skills among existing faculty members. There is a vicious cycle of lack of trained researchers resulting in poor business doctoral education that, in turn, results in non-availability of trained faculty members

Furthermore, most research produced in India hardly meets international standards, as there is less networking with International associations and research centres

The proportionate investment in higher education in the recent years has gone down. Although there is some funding for science subjects, grants for social science and management subjects have virtually dried up

At best there is sporadic research activity in form of doctoral theses or internally-funded small projects. There is a dearth of research centres, programmes and networks.

Dilemma for Private B-Schools

Almost 80% institutions of management education on all India basis are in the private sector. They are self-financing and do not receive any type of grant from state or central government

Most of the schools are small in size and operate with limited budgets and faculty resources. They find it even difficult to deliver instruction effectively

They are under continuous pressure to reduce cost The corporate world that is main beneficiary of

management education hardly contributes financially to such schools. The Interface is one-sided where b-schools run after the industry for placement of their students

As a result, they cut corners on research rather than on instruction and interface with the industry. Schooling takes precedence over scholarship. They end up reconciling with mediocrity and poverty of scholarship

Government, which is chiefly responsible for public good, is starved for fund for research. Furthermore, it has suspicion about private sector institutions. Consequently, it does not fund them

Need for Research In B-Schools

Research is the very essence of institutions of higher learning It generates intellectual capital. As a result, it helps in achieving

societal objectives of knowledge creation and innovation By doing research, an institution goes beyond students and relates

to other constituencies, like business organisations, government organisations and peer organisations. Business schools need to do research to help corporate organisations manage their affairs more effectively

It brings reputation to the school. The curriculum of most B-schools is alike. They differ to some extent in its delivery through differentiation in faculty and pedagogy. Hence, competitive advantage emanates from research too large extent and through industry interface to some extent

Research also assists a school in attracting talent – both faculty and student. After all, academic excellence is about good minds contributing to technical and intellectual capital

Although research may be resource guzzler, it also creates resource by mobilising public fund, increase in tuition fees and action research

Unless a school itself is quite active in research, it cannot promote attitude and aptitude of research among students which are highly desirable in the knowledge-based organisations

B-school can promote think tank to address the specific policy needs of the society

Forms of B-Schools in India

Centrally funded B-schools (Mostly independent educational institutions, like IIMs, IIFT, IIFM) focussing on graduate and doctoral education

State funded B-schools, (mostly located in a university system) focussing on undergraduate, graduate and doctoral education

Private non-profit B-schools, (MDI, Nirma, BITS) focussing on graduate and doctoral education

Private for-profit B-schools focussing on graduate education

Differentiating Between Research-Oriented and Teaching-Oriented B-Schools

Do you have an active Ph.D. programme?

Do you have an active internally funded research programme?

What percentage of your budget is dedicated for research?

Do you have competent research faculty members who regularly take up research project and publish in reputed journals?

Disciplined-OrientedResearch

Discipline-OrientedResearch

Practice-OrientedResearch

Instruction-OrientedResearch

Figure 1. Three Types of Research in B-Schools

Types of Research: Comparison and ContrastDimensions Disciplined-oriented

ResearchPractice-Oriented Research

Instruction-Oriented Research

Academic Acceptance High Medium Low

Instructional Excellence

Medium High High

Cost High Low Low

Time Framework Long-term Medium-term Short-term

Public Support Needed High Low Low

Corporate Interface Low to Medium High High to Medium

Educational Training Available Partially Available Not Available

Possibility of Publication

High Low Low

Possibility of

Internal Support

Low Medium High

Difference Between Research and ConsultingResearch Consulting

Knowledge Creation Knowledge Application

Academe Professional

Long-term Short-term

Theory Building Problem Solving

Process Project

Cost Centre Profit Centre

Public Good Private Good

IntellectualCapital

Leadership

Faculty Group

InstitutionalMission

Resources

PMS

Rewards & IncentivesTo Faculty

Societal Norms, Values, and Resources

Networking AmongInstitutions

IncentivestoInstitutionsFor Research

IndustryInstitutionInterface

QualityOf HigherEducation

Eco-System Model of Research in B-Schools

Wishful Thinking(100% Focus on Instruction)

Doctoral Research(80% Focus on Instruction, 20% on Research)

Internal Research(70% Focus on Instruction, 30% on Research)

Integrated Research(50% Focus on Instruction, 50% on Research)

Four Stages in Research Excellence In B-Schools

Roadblocks for Research in Indian Business Schools

Lack of internal and external research funding

Lack of institutional expectations and incentives

Unprofessional professional bodies More of repetitive research rather than

creative research Deficient research skills Poor writing and lack of motivation of

publish Absence of culture of debate and discussion Lack of interface with corporate world

What Is Plaguing Doctoral Education?

B-Schools are more committed to instruction than research Most doctoral students go for doctoral education as an

alternative channel of entry into the corporate world (And they get well paid for it!)

Most doctoral programmes lack advanced courses, leading to poor understanding of research in different fields of enquiry

While quality parameters for MBA education are well-defined, quality standards for doctoral education are absent, resulting in poor planning, monitoring and review

Lack of fellowships and contingency grants Doctoral research has been too theoretical and less industry-

focussed. Further, little support from industry for grant, data collection, and sharing of information

A small chunk of doctoral theses result in publications Quality of supervision remains a question mark in most cases Part-time research is generally more ornamental than a

significant contribution to advancement of knowledge. More of qualification rather than training for future research

Criteria for Good Research: Converged Views of Researchers and Practitioners Critical problem surfaced

Clear purpose Coherent writing Credible data sources Objective, unbiased Provides conceptual frameworks Original, innovative Generalizable beyond context Challenges current assumption Recommendation supported by data Valid premises Lots of good ideas

Management As A Profession

Management is practice-based. However, it does not require license like other professions. Management students thus not only need advanced knowledge but also necessary skills, attitude, and ethical standards. Management education has to be closely rooted in practice through experiential exercises, problem-oriented projects in industry, practice study, block field projects and internships

One should also realise that practice in management practices are not as standardized as practices in other professions like medicine and law

Management academe consists of less practitioners and more academicians unlike other professions that consist of more practitioners and less academicians

It is multi-disciplinary in nature. Some discipline are more academic, while others are more practice-based. As the managerial work is unified, management academe needs to be cross-functional

Management is anchored in practices of various business organisations. Therefore, the academe has to have in-depth knowledge of certain industries

The end-users of management education are quite varied and diverse. Management students consequently need global education but they also need cases and exercises based on organisations in varied industries

For advancement of management education, both disciplinary and practice-based knowledge is important. Management practices are continuously evolving and there is a need to have new teaching resources

Management education has certain disciplines which are more universal, while other subjects are more local in nature. Especially theories in behavioural sciences need to be tested for their cross-cultural validity

Contd…

Managers require both analytical and people skills to be successful on the job. Analytical skills are easier to teach, while people skills are difficult

They need to learn from past but work for future which is uncertain. As a result, learning to learn is critical for managerial success. How to teach this competency? There is no proven way

Pedagogical needs of different courses are different. But generally they tend to be taught in the same way.

The research techniques, types of data and unit of analysis of different fields of management also differ. Hence it becomes very difficult to do cross-functional research

Criticality

Utility

Creative Thinking

Generalizibility

Validity

TheoryBuilding

PracticalRelevance

TheoreticalRelevance

MethodologicalRelevance

Relevant and Rigorous Research

Strategies For Promoting Research

Clarify your mission/mandate and pursue it vigorously and systematically

Introduce and strengthen doctoral programme Initiate internal discussion forums for sharing

research and knowledge Provide reasonable seed money for internal

research Increase budget for domestic and international

conferences Earmark time to faculty members to do research Identify some faculty members who will be

trailblazers of external research Recognise and reward faculty engaged in research

activities Manage, monitor and review of research activities

in a systematic and effective fashion

Conclusion

Most B-Schools have stayed away from research due to lack of fund, deficient research culture and reward system. As society benefits from research, government has main responsibility to fund research among B-schools. However, B-schools serve society by supplying management graduates to the industry and by doing research to help organisations manage themselves more effectively. Industry has a role in promoting research. More importantly, B-schools need to earmark certain amount of their budget for research as it helps them increase their reputation and long-term effectiveness.

There are three types of research and they are intricately related. Those schools which cannot do discipline-based research, can focus on instruction-oriented and practice-oriented research. More important issue here is intellectual contribution and scholarship.

Private B-Schools are emerging an important providers of management education. They have responsibility to invest a certain amount of their resources for research

Equally importantly, Government/s need to fund research and invest in doctoral fellowships in private business schools. AICTE has done its bit in promoting research among B-schools. The private research-oriented institutions should be rewarded by allowing higher percentage of overheads and faculty salary grants

Funding agencies need to identify ten major B-schools in different parts of the country and promote research programmes for them for a certain period

We need research networks which support and learn from one another. Last but not the least, the importance of individual commitment to

research is critical. A sapling will not flourish without adequate eco-system; conversely, no eco-system can help a sampling if does not possess the right stuff.