From Classroom to Boardroom: What a Business Education Really Gives You!

Imagine that a 20-year-old is sitting in a business class, barely paying attention as the professor talks about market segments and wondering if all that matters in the real world. That same person leads a product launch five years later, forges a path that propels a team of five, and makes calls that impact the bottom line.

It is this difference between ‘wondering if it matters’ and ‘knowing it does’ that a good business education fills.

The Indian corporate world is growing at an exponential rate, which is difficult to parallel to any growth rate. The increasing demand for those able to truly manage, adapt, and lead in these evolving industries, positions, and expectations. For this reason, places like NorthCap University, Gurugram, are becoming an important starting point for the new generation of professionals.

Most students don’t arrive at school in the first semester with the attitude of “I’m here to be a leader.” Their thoughts are on the degree, the job, and the salary. But those things are important, and they think that way – that’s fine.

But at some stage, it’s all different. When a group project goes wrong, someone has to be responsible for dealing with it. You are faced with a question you can’t answer from the script at the last moment by a lecturer. Theories learned are less abstract when placed in the real workplace during an internship.

It’s in the thousands of small moments that make up the experience of business school that business schools shape the future of business managers and leaders.

The BBA is often considered a step towards the “real” qualification. Well, that’s a bit harsh.

A well-designed Bachelor of Business Administration programme immerses students in the workings of organisations for three years. You study operations, marketing, finance, human resources, and entrepreneurship, but more significantly, you get to understand the connections between these areas. The supply chain is impacted by a marketing choice. Company culture is impacted by a recruiting policy. The product roadmap is shaped by investor expectations.

It is extremely uncommon to recognise these relationships at an early age. Trial and error is how most people find it out years into their careers. That learning curve is greatly reduced by a good BBA programme.

Additionally, it fosters professional confidence, which is more difficult to quantify. By the time they graduate, students have worked on real projects, given presentations in front of panels, and negotiated team dynamics that are similar to those seen in the workplace. This type of experience manifests itself differently during interviews and even more so when you start working.

Why Organisational Behaviour is the subject everyone underestimates!!!

Surprisingly, many working professionals would tell you that Organisational Behaviour was their most valuable management degree course. Behaviour, not strategy or finance.

At first glance, it seems like the simple solution, with numerous theories regarding teamwork and incentives. However, after working for a few years, you’ll see that it’s actually one of the most useful subjects you can learn.

You can learn to comprehend why individuals act in certain ways at work by studying Organisational Behaviour. What causes a high-achieving person to abruptly lose interest? Why, despite having talented members, do some teams come together right away while others disintegrate? Why do people oppose change even when it is obviously good for them?

These are not speculative inquiries. Managers deal with these issues on a weekly basis. Additionally, those who manage them effectively are not always the most technically proficient; rather, they are the ones who have a human understanding. Although this knowledge begins in the classroom, it grows with each subsequent professional encounter.

Imparting education at the business school in Gurugram is a practical thing with which they are well recognised and appreciated in the business world. The city is not just a setting for education, but is actively involved in it.

Gurugram boasts a few of the most crucial business zones in the country, an emerging trend of start-ups, and the presence of hundreds of international companies having their offices in India.

For a management student, it involves opportunities for guest speakers from people who are out there making an impact in big companies, opportunities for internships in important companies, and the beginning of a network before he or she finishes his or her studies.

This is usually a benefit on campus placements with NCR-based universities. Students are already familiar with the recruiting firms, as they are not just a well-known brand, but through internships or visits to companies, students have already had a glimpse into the industry. That’s a pretty different place to start, compared to most. There’s a vast selection of undergraduate courses, graduate degrees, and specialisations, ranging from luxury management to analytics, and it’s easy to get bewildered by the rankings and brochures.

In addition to the numbers of alumni on paper, there are some points to consider: In reality, where do alumni work? In the practical aspects, how well developed is the industry interface? Are the classes lecture-style, or do the teachers have experience in the workplace? What is the internship process like? These questions can penetrate the bombardment of data like no rating. This is one thing that is rarely recognised: knowledge isn’t the most important outcome of a management degree. This is the way of your thinking.

You can learn to cope with uncertainty, manage competing interests, and make decisions without all the information, including how to engage others in making decisions, in a sound business education. It helps you learn that leadership is a habit, and it’s a habit that takes work over time to develop, and not a title to be bestowed upon yourself.

It’s not about the BBA, it’s about a way to identify problems and solutions, whether you start with a BBA or take an Organisational Behaviour course, whether you use a search tool to plot your way or just select one of the business schools in Gurgaon because of the “ecosystem benefit”.

Long after the degree is framed and displayed on a wall, that is the portion that remains with you. And really? You should think carefully about what you are doing.

Author
Dr. Kanika Gupta
Assistant Professor (Sr. Scale)
Department of Management and Commerce