In the profession for 22 years, Dr. Sridharamurthy shares his industry acumen with the aspiring students

Interview by Sakshi Aggarwal

Dr. Sridharamurthy has 22 years of experience in industry and academia. He has completed Ph.D. from Vellore Institute of Technology and MBA from The University of North Carolina, Charlotte, USA. His industry experience includes working as an Officer in Government of Karnataka, Assistant Director in Ohio-Manipal School of Business, Director of Bhavan-SIET Institute of Management. Dr. Sridharamurthy is currently working in National School of Business as the President.

Dr. Sridharamurthy’s experience in the education sector

“You are what your deep, driving desire is. As your desire is, so is your will.
As your will is, so is your deed. As your deed is, so is your destiny.”

These lines are from the fountainhead of Hindu philosophy, the Upanishads. They advocate that it is our innermost desire that manifests itself in our actions. I believe that every individual is born with a specific purpose (a talent or a gift that is unique) and we each search for that purpose.

Education has always been my purpose and passion. I am lucky enough to have had international qualifications (MBA & Ph.D.) that made me gain ground in teaching across the continents. I have had teaching assignments in the USA, UK, Thailand, France, and Spain. As an inspired teacher, I aim to bring out talents, encourage innovation, and nurture a new generation of researchers and practitioners. In this way, I can do what I love most, which is first to continue deriving pleasure from the learning process, and secondly, to see others experience that pleasure and to know I had something to do with it.

No other profession offers as much opportunity as educators to bring about change in the world. Education fuels personal growth brings out talent in people and gives them the sense of the world. Developing an individual and offering them to the society is like fueling the rocket and launching it to the skies. Education is the launchpad for the growth of individuals and societies and I have always taken pride in creating the same.

Dr. Sridharamurthy’s philosophy of leadership and his leadership style

Leaders, in my opinion, have two major roles-one of envisioning future and the other of inspiring people to embrace that vision. That’s all I do as a leader. I will set a vision for our team members and guide them to follow the path. My style is all about empowering people with required skills and resources, removing bottlenecks for growth, and keeping them inspired to accomplish their individual and organizational goals.

Changes in the education industry noticed by Dr. Sridharamurthy over the past few years

Change is the only thing that is constant. Innovations in every other field have now triggered a change in the field of education as well. I would like to share some major changes that occurred in the field of education.

First come the action-driven curriculum. Many B-schools are now focusing on creating action-driven content based on the “andragogy” principles, which emphasizes that adults learn best when they are in action. Many available simulation tools, capston, mock online trading platforms have created ample opportunities to be in action.

Then comes the technology-driven teaching methodology. Technology has enabled rapid sharing of content and videos. The Skype and video conferencing facilities have improved knowledge sharing among international partners.

Next is automation. Many colleges have now automated their attendance systems, time-table alerts and progress reports to the students and parents.

And the last but not the least comes internationalization of the curriculum. Most colleges now do not teach their curriculum in the traditional Indian context. Now that the world is well-knit, discussed all concepts in the international context has become inevitable.

Read about the faculty at National School of Business here.

Most optimum path according to Dr. Sridharamurthy, for a student wanting to excel in the field of management

Focus on soft skills. Knowledge and skills are important; but more important is the attitude and the behavior. No student can get a decent job unless one has good communication skills and is able to project himself /herself well before for the employers with confidence. I would suggest them to build a strong “Value proposition”. No student can expect a good package and position unless one is able to explain what one can contribute to the company. Lastly, staying up-to-date with respect to the domain knowledge and developing broad-based knowledge is important. It is important for the students to demonstrate a comprehensive knowledge of the businesses and the environment in which they operate.

Growth of students through placement opportunities available at National School of Business

NSB accomplishes excellent placements by constantly focusing on changing trends in the job markets and inducing students with new skills that are required to meet the current job market needs. NSB achieves this through-

• Creating the right mindset for self-empowerment by breaking mental barriers and destructive self–beliefs: This is done by engaging world-class trainers in a three-week-long orientation
• Providing an environment that is conducive for effective learning: This is done by deploying state-of-the-art technology in classes coupled with interactive classroom sessions
• Enhancing communication skills through several in-house workshops and well-designed modules on written, oral and presentation skills.
• Bringing about attitudinal changes: This is aimed at empowering students for life by helping them develop the right attitude befitting the corporate life. These changes are necessary for an environment where there is an increased focus on “attitude” over “skills” in the recruitment process.
• Putting students in action: This is accomplished by engaging students in an action-led learning environment. Students at NSB are engaged in doing almost everything that is discussed in theory may it be creating a promotional campaign or investing in a stock market
• Improving general aptitude and overall preparedness to face corporate interviews: End justifies the means. NSB has an objective of achieving 100% placements for its graduates by focusing on placements through additional certifications and career development workshops
• Providing global exposure and training in the multicultural setting: NSB admits students from diverse academic and cultural backgrounds. Every student who joins NSB will bring something new and exciting to the classroom making classes interesting.  Moreover, NSB has signed up with many international universities to offer exchange opportunities for its students.  NSB also organizes Global Mindset Trail to expose students to the international business environment.

Read more about the placement opportunities available at National School of Business here.

Dr. Sridharamurthy on what makes National School of Business stand apart from other institutions

• Good Training: Every student at National School of Business is trained in a way she/he has to be trained. While we build theoretical skills through the MBA program, PGPM program will provide them with hands-on practical skills. By combining our PGPM with MBA, we shall bridge the skills and knowledge gap of the university education system. Moreover, our innovative student-led learning initiatives such as Business news analysis, Concept Review, and Special certifications help students differentiate themselves from the rest of the crowd. a few major
• Right Attitude: At NSB, we train every student to be Humble and Honest. Producing students with attributes desired in the corporate world has been the main goal of NSB. To this end, we organize many well-thought, comprehensive personality development programs to students in the areas of Leadership, Teamwork, and so on.
• Clear Career Focus:  At NSB, every student would know what he/she wants to accomplish in his/her career. The sharper career focus is achieved by facilitating students to understand their personality types and matching them with their goals and aspirations. Once a student decides on the specialization and the industry, NSB will organize a special training in that area through MICRO TEACHING.
• Diverse Student Body: The diversity in classrooms in one of the most important attributes of the classroom success. The successful learning depends on the ability of the students to contribute to the classroom learning.  Further, the discussions are going to be very creative and broad-based when the student body is diverse. To achieve the diversity in classrooms, NSB admits students from every stream of undergraduate studies. We also ensure that there is gender balance in the classroom. International students (about 15 percent) also add to classroom diversity.
• International quality education: This is accomplished by engaging in a constant academic exchange with world-class B-schools in Europe. Every year many student and professors are sent overseas to get global exposure. Many joint research projects and sharing of academic resources helps NSB stay afloat in the changing environment.

Qualities, which over the years have helped Dr. Sridharamurthy and the entire management, create a brand name for National School of Business

Continuous learning, international exchanges and benchmarking, a clear focus on outcomes and individual attention to students and “tailor-made” route map.

Goals in mind for National School of Business for the next five years

Fully equipping our ultra-modern campus in the vicinity of electronic city and creating an outstanding learning environment, adding a few more international partner universities to facilitate intense exchanges, developing “integrated approach” to teaching, which shall be NSB’s hallmark methodology, and improving our position to be among top 25 B-schools in the country are some of the goals in mind.

Suggestions for the current youth and the aspiring students

First of all, I want all the aspiring students to treat MBA differently. This is not a course that will only add to your knowledge but will also change the way you live and think. Therefore, ideally, students must not see MBA as a natural extension of other academic programs. Further, I would suggest the students to clearly define the career objective, make the best use of college facilities to get maximum learning, be unconventional in your learning approach, participate in different forums like annual paper presentation, final strategic showdowns, management festivals and so on, get maximum exposure to real business-like situations and sharpen your business acumen.