Globally, only 5% b-schools have acquired the rigorous Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accreditation. Two days ago, TA Pai Management Institute (TAPMI), Manipal became one of this chosen group, the only other one in India being the Indian Schools of Business (ISB), Hyderabad. Does this global endorsement mean anything at all to students down the line, or is it just a titular stamp, that the school is proud to flaunt? PaGaLGuY.com spoke to TAPMI director Dr RC Natarajan to know more.

You had applied to AASCB for the accreditation in 2003-2004, it has been a long time. ISB got it much faster.

Yes, it has been a long time but it has been worth the while. The AACSB team wanted things presented in a particular way and we had to get it done. We had our processes and systems in place which even the AACSB said was the case but they had to be all presented in a way that worked according to AACSB guidelines. The main part of the entire process was documentation. As Indians, we are not upfront with proper documentation. We had all the information in place but had never documented it the way it was needed. It did not mean so much of writing it all down but getting whatever had been written down approved by all departments.

Explain?

For instance, take our Mission Statement which was alright the way it was. But we were asked who the target audience was and when we said it was students, the AACSB told us that we needed to make sure that was the case. So we revised our statement, took it to the students, then the faculty, then the Board of Studies, Governing Council and only when it was approved at every stage that we made it final. These processes highlighted the responsibility of the statement.

Did it just make things more bureaucratic?

Not at all. If I needed, being director I could bring about the changes but the process of consultation with each other and discussions at every level actually helped the cause of the change. Meeting with deans and others and having a dialogue about a policy change is a far more effective way of bringing about a change. You know definitely who and what the change is for. It leads to discussions with the people concerned and that enriches the process and the goal.

What else did you have to change in TAPMI for the AACSB?

We did not have to change things at all. Like I said earlier, we had things in place we had to change our mode of presentation. Take for instance our system of classifying journals we did not have a global system in place. Two of us then went abroad and were trained in what is called the Assurance of Learning Standards. Now our documents are classified under each standard with all the details. If you come to our Control Room in the TAPMI campus, you will see that we have documented our processes, decisions, plans for improvement and classification of faculty members. Yes, this system was rigorous and it was an excellent learning experience. It was like scoring a century on a tough wicket. Once you finish the job, it is a great leveller.

Dr RC Natarajan, director of TAPMI Manipal
Were there changes that you did not approve of but were forced to?

They did not ask us to change anything, only to re-process it. We had all the requirements but either we had not documented them or not documented them the right way. They told us to slightly redefine our own mission statement but also asked how we would achieve our mission. We used to work like the Hindu pandits (priests) who know all the shlokas and vedas but after the pandits die, the knowledge goes to the grave with them. What we have done is codified the whole thing so that for generations to come, the message is loud and clear.

Did the long process tire any of you at TAPMI? Was there opposition from within the school?

It affected our health and we had many sleepless nights. We used to sit up late at night, wake up next morning. Yes, sometimes we were told to forget it and just do what we were doing. The process has given us a vision and a will to do better since the accreditation is going to be renewed every five years. So the learning will have to continue. We will have to keep checking ourselves. Opposition came in at times from some who were used to doing things in a particular way for years. Sometimes faculty questioned the need to get into research when they were doing a fine job of teaching. We asked them whether they wanted to continue taking a textbook to class all their lives or become academically qualified teachers.

What is in it for students? Will you try to get in more international or NRI students now?
Thats’ a question we ask students during admission. This will not translate to anything in terms of employment immediately, it will take a year to affect a change in that. In India, the accreditation may not be properly understood but globally it means a big thing. Those students going for higher studies stand a good chance to make it if they are students from an AACSB-accredited school. And we are now in a better position to seek overseas employment and projects.

As for NRI students, yes, this will mean a lot for them since it is a global recognition. We already have a number of them in the school today, that number is bound to increase. However, I have seen that often NRIs do not stand up to a good quality score in their GMAT exams. More international tie-ups can be expected. Already we have firmed up a tie-up with Asian Institute of Management, Manila. About 17 of our students will visit Manila and we will accept their students.

What is in it for the faculty?

We will definitely get in more international faculty with this accreditation. This will make good global faculty recognise us instantly and we expect that our numbers in faculty will also increase. We can also now devote time for research since it is an attribute of our accreditation and also invite tie-ups with international schools. We expect visiting international faculty numbers to also go up.

Were there any cultural issues that the AACSB team could not relate to?
They asked why I had said cultural diversity in my mission statement when all the students were Indians. Luckily one of members of the AACSB team was an Indian so I told the team that if they took a closer look at a state such as Kerala, there were cultural differences between people in different districts. Compare this to the fact that there are 28 states which are culturally diverse from one another and within the states also there is further cultural diversity. This is five times higher than the cultural diversity seen in Europe. The AACSB team also met the students alone and spoke to them on this issue. Students told them how in a single class, there were students from different states who did not understand the mother-tongues of one another, they followed different cultural practices and celebrated different festivals. There were those who only ate rice for a meal, while some others survived only on roti.

What are some of the basic changes that have come about at TAPMI due to the AACSB accreditation?
Our Mission Statement has been revised and now we live and believe in the statement more than anything else since it has been ratified by all. Our working has become more systematic. This process makes sure our work is in the right direction and aiming for the right goals and with the right people. There is lots of sharing of knowledge and responsibility across the faculty members now. For instance, sometimes three faculty members go to a class for delivering a lecture. While students are confused in the beginning, they slowly begin to relate to diverse ways of approaching managerial issues. While one faculty starts the lecture, the other butts in with another viewpoint and the third explains with a different tool.

I for one was happy being a professor in this school and teaching marketing. I know I was a good marketing professor. But now, I see myself in relation to the role I am playing in this organisation. I see my work in the larger scheme of things and understand my job with regards to the goal of the school.

Many people dismiss accreditations saying, “Why do you need Americans to give you a certificate of quality?” Your comments?

Yes, I have heard that. We are proud Indians. But this exercise has made us relook at how we have been working all these years. How it is important to mean what you really intend. This accreditation is not a railway station that I get off on, wash my face at and get back on the train. It is not even a terminus. It is an ongoing journey for me. We are learning how things need to be done especially if you wanted to make a mark on the global scene. We are proud Indians who are now on the global map with a difference. A positive difference in quality.