In this exclusive interview, Dr.Brigid Milner, Visiting Faculty, IMT Ghaziabad shares her experiences and views about IMT Ghaziabad.
The best and the brightest!
Human Resources Management has undergone enormous changes in the recent past, nationally and internationally. Pink slips, pay cuts, frozen recruitments, some employees being put on the bench, others being given additional responsibilities… these were just some of the downsides of the recession that the world and people faced stoically. Employees were left with little choice but to perform their tasks and while stress was high, motivation was often low. In that scenario, HR sure was a tough job to be in.
And as things are getting better slowly and surely, it will still take a long time for things to go back to where they were. The MBA graduate of today and tomorrow needs to be prepared for all of this and more.
It was with this goal that IMT Ghaziabad invited Dr. Brigid Milner of the WIT School of Business-Ireland, a luminary in HRM and a Visiting Professor at IMT to offer her perspective and share her experience and knowledge with the students of IMT
“While I hope that I have enhanced their knowledge of international HRM, I have also had the pleasure of learning from them by virtue of their sharing some of their experiences and views of the subject area,” said Dr. Brigid Milner.
Presenting excerpts from an informal chat with Dr. Milner…
Q. Could you describe your experiences with the students of IMT? What according to you are the strengths they must capitalise on, and what weaknesses do they need to work on?
A. The first-year students that I have been working with are extremely smart as is to be expected given that IMT is a top-ten B-school and can hence attract the best and the brightest applicants. Given that most of the students also commence with the programme with 1-3 years of experience, mostly but not exclusively, in technical roles, this provides a useful reference point from which to explore and discuss key business issues.
In terms of their strengths, the students have certainly displayed the drive that is essential to career progression post-graduation. It is also clear that they are committed to contributing to the IMT life in a wider sense, evidenced in their membership of various committees which demonstrates, in my view, an acceptance that post-graduate education is not limited solely to the purely academic experience.
Q. From an HR perspective, are the students of IMT ready to face the challenges of the times? Why? Is there anything that will help them be better prepared to face the trials and tribulations of a constantly changing/evolving economic scenario?
A. I believe the PGDM/MBA programme certainly captures, in terms of academic content, the central general and specialist areas of business and management, and frames them in both a domestic and global context which is crucial in the rapidly changing world in which we live.
I am a strong believer that post-graduate business education should also seek to develop the key management competencies (e.g. social and networking skills; self-awareness; empathy, etc.) that allows for academic knowledge to be used effectively in the organisation both in a domestic and/or an international context. I believe that most business schools struggle with this challenge. However, the IMT programme has ‘the edge’ in terms of the provision of the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) profile for all first-year students which enables them to gain some insight into their preferences and also the dynamics of their interactions with others.
Q. How have HR trends changed and how can a student of IMT adapt to them? How does the HR manager of tomorrow keep up with the times and the ever-evolving HR needs?
A. HR is now about being a ‘business partner’ — as professionals and as a function — who can really make a difference and in turn, impact positively on profitability, for the organisation, be it the private or public sector. The provision of a common first year which includes the key business subjects coupled with a range of industry-relevant second year specialist HR modules ensures that IMT HR graduates are well-prepared to assume this ‘business partner’ role.
In terms of ‘keeping up with the times’ HR professionals need to be committed to their continuing professional development which is achieved through further training, self study, networking and also attending HR professional conferences. Membership of a HR professional association is also particularly useful.
Q. While this is certainly an extensive topic, in a nutshell, how different is it to work for a multinational as opposed to a local business?
A. I believe the key difference is one’s perspective — is it domestic and hence all factors in the business, including people, are local; or is it international/global — where the drivers and influences on the organisation are often outside and external to the subsidiary. As a result, in a multinational company (MNC), one’s ‘view’ or perspective needs to be much broader and one must be able to handle and respond to the complexities that go with this.
Q. What do you think is unique to the Indian student of today?
A. Their drive is particularly evident as is their willingness to contribute, individually and collectively, and outside of their academic programme, to the life of IMT. Their awareness of global business issues is apparent but what sets them apart is that they are still rooted in Indian traditions while they have a modern and global outlook
Q. What are the lasting impressions of IMT and its students that you carry back with you?
A. There is a vibrancy within IMT, generated by both the faculty and the students, and it has been a pleasure to be part of this and to contribute to the academic programme during my time here as a Visiting Professor. I have really enjoyed my interactions with the first-year students and while I hope that I have enhanced their knowledge of international HRM, I have also had the pleasure of learning from them by virtue of their sharing some of their experiences and views of the subject area.
I will always remember the very warm welcome I received from the staff in IMT — both academic and administrative — and also their on-going support which has enabled me to deliver my lectures over the last three weeks.
The best and the brightest!
Human Resources Management has undergone enormous changes in the recent past, nationally and internationally. Pink slips, pay cuts, frozen recruitments, some employees being put on the bench, others being given additional responsibilities… these were just some of the downsides of the recession that the world and people faced stoically. Employees were left with little choice but to perform their tasks and while stress was high, motivation was often low. In that scenario, HR sure was a tough job to be in.
And as things are getting better slowly and surely, it will still take a long time for things to go back to where they were. The MBA graduate of today and tomorrow needs to be prepared for all of this and more.
It was with this goal that IMT Ghaziabad invited Dr. Brigid Milner of the WIT School of Business-Ireland, a luminary in HRM and a Visiting Professor at IMT to offer her perspective and share her experience and knowledge with the students of IMT
“While I hope that I have enhanced their knowledge of international HRM, I have also had the pleasure of learning from them by virtue of their sharing some of their experiences and views of the subject area,” said Dr. Brigid Milner.
Presenting excerpts from an informal chat with Dr. Milner…
Q. Could you describe your experiences with the students of IMT? What according to you are the strengths they must capitalise on, and what weaknesses do they need to work on?
A. The first-year students that I have been working with are extremely smart as is to be expected given that IMT is a top-ten B-school and can hence attract the best and the brightest applicants. Given that most of the students also commence with the programme with 1-3 years of experience, mostly but not exclusively, in technical roles, this provides a useful reference point from which to explore and discuss key business issues.
In terms of their strengths, the students have certainly displayed the drive that is essential to career progression post-graduation. It is also clear that they are committed to contributing to the IMT life in a wider sense, evidenced in their membership of various committees which demonstrates, in my view, an acceptance that post-graduate education is not limited solely to the purely academic experience.
Q. From an HR perspective, are the students of IMT ready to face the challenges of the times? Why? Is there anything that will help them be better prepared to face the trials and tribulations of a constantly changing/evolving economic scenario?
A. I believe the PGDM/MBA programme certainly captures, in terms of academic content, the central general and specialist areas of business and management, and frames them in both a domestic and global context which is crucial in the rapidly changing world in which we live.
I am a strong believer that post-graduate business education should also seek to develop the key management competencies (e.g. social and networking skills; self-awareness; empathy, etc.) that allows for academic knowledge to be used effectively in the organisation both in a domestic and/or an international context. I believe that most business schools struggle with this challenge. However, the IMT programme has ‘the edge’ in terms of the provision of the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) profile for all first-year students which enables them to gain some insight into their preferences and also the dynamics of their interactions with others.
Q. How have HR trends changed and how can a student of IMT adapt to them? How does the HR manager of tomorrow keep up with the times and the ever-evolving HR needs?
A. HR is now about being a ‘business partner’ — as professionals and as a function — who can really make a difference and in turn, impact positively on profitability, for the organisation, be it the private or public sector. The provision of a common first year which includes the key business subjects coupled with a range of industry-relevant second year specialist HR modules ensures that IMT HR graduates are well-prepared to assume this ‘business partner’ role.
In terms of ‘keeping up with the times’ HR professionals need to be committed to their continuing professional development which is achieved through further training, self study, networking and also attending HR professional conferences. Membership of a HR professional association is also particularly useful.
Q. While this is certainly an extensive topic, in a nutshell, how different is it to work for a multinational as opposed to a local business?
A. I believe the key difference is one’s perspective — is it domestic and hence all factors in the business, including people, are local; or is it international/global — where the drivers and influences on the organisation are often outside and external to the subsidiary. As a result, in a multinational company (MNC), one’s ‘view’ or perspective needs to be much broader and one must be able to handle and respond to the complexities that go with this.
Q. What do you think is unique to the Indian student of today?
A. Their drive is particularly evident as is their willingness to contribute, individually and collectively, and outside of their academic programme, to the life of IMT. Their awareness of global business issues is apparent but what sets them apart is that they are still rooted in Indian traditions while they have a modern and global outlook
Q. What are the lasting impressions of IMT and its students that you carry back with you?
A. There is a vibrancy within IMT, generated by both the faculty and the students, and it has been a pleasure to be part of this and to contribute to the academic programme during my time here as a Visiting Professor. I have really enjoyed my interactions with the first-year students and while I hope that I have enhanced their knowledge of international HRM, I have also had the pleasure of learning from them by virtue of their sharing some of their experiences and views of the subject area.
I will always remember the very warm welcome I received from the staff in IMT — both academic and administrative — and also their on-going support which has enabled me to deliver my lectures over the last three weeks.
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