SHILLONG:
IIM Shillong on Monday inaugurated its one-year Post Graduate Programme for Executives (PGPEX ) with a focus on emerging economies at its Umsawli campus here.
Speaking at the commencement ceremony as Chief Guest, Ravi Pratap Singh, Executive Director, Nucleus Software, praised the evolutionary and the flexible nature of the curriculum and stressed on the need and importance of enjoying what one does in life. “If you can’t do what you enjoy, then you better enjoy what you do”, he remarked.
Singh introduced the participants to a three- strategy note, which one needs to follow on their journey, and which he himself followed during his professional career. The first strategy, he said, is learning where a professional can continuously evolve himself as a learner. He stressed on the fact that one cannot learn, until he is willing to put his defects on the table.
He mentioned the process of continuous improvement as a second strategy that one needs to adopt to cater to the need of the growing demand on resource capabilities.
“Organisations and people cannot be static. One needs to improve and keep improving every day”, he said and advised the students to learn new things every day, take feedback and continue evolving.
The third strategy is to build a strong foundation of integrity and values where he mentioned a few noted entrepreneurs, and highlighted the consequences of not having integrity. “No one starts with that intent, it happens gradually”, he said while focusing on the process of eroding ethics. “Build a strong ethical foundation… Businesses will test your integrity. Integrity is the only way businesses and professionals can last”, he reiterated. He reminded the students to not do the course only for an improved salary package, but to understand and cherish the journey of becoming true leaders.
Director IIM Shillong, Prof DP Goyal, while delivering his welcome address, emphasised on the need to set a benchmark by the 10th batch for years to come. “We produce managers with ethical and human values, wherein sustainability is our core focus”, he added. He also mentioned how teachers are only facilitators who would create and provide an environment suitable for effective learning, but the students have to be self-motivated.
He also spoke about the unpredictability of the market, and how the pandemic had taught everyone the same. He asked the participants to make themselves ready for any such situation.
Chairperson of the programme, Prof S N Bhattacharya, said its mission is to enable the students to have an edge in managing transnational business in emerging economies with superior education and enriching cross-culture experience. Highlighting the evolutionary nature of the programme, he explained how the focus would be on building skills required to match emerging economies while also focusing on a global curriculum with emerging insight, international in-company training and live project, understanding and building in-demand skills, demonstrating critical thinking ability and inculcating the spirit of entrepreneurship while bringing in peer learning and networking opportunities. The elective courses will ensure the application of the knowledge acquired in the core and advanced courses to precision.