Design thinking necessary @IIM-A

  In a flat world order, leading B-Schools of India should be getting used to creating more room at the top. Older IIMs at the top need to imbibe lessons in design thinking to promote greater public good. Instead of competing with each other to be at the top, they need to create healthy collaborative networks. It is important for them to create an ambience where autonomy percolates right down to the bottom of the “hierarchical Indian academic pyramid”.

Before discussing more about IIM-A, here is one article by Gurbir Singh titled “A teaching experiment that failed in success”[TNIE, 30 Jan 2013; pdf version]. Though segregation of “good” from the “not-so-good” is unhealthy, in this case it accidentally resulted in transforming the less gifted students. Thanks to a gifted teacher who adopted a totally different pedagogical approach at the bottom of the pyramid.

Design thinking organizations make conscious efforts to promote such initiatives. The academic regulators in India need to take cognizance of this fact and allow autonomy to the teacher who shoulders greater responsibility in transforming the less gifted students in schools that do not belong to the top league.

While India with its inclusive growth challenges needs more such transformations, let us take a look at the top league. Here is an earlier Business Today article by Shamni Pande titled “Back to Class – IIM-A is once again India's best business school” (Oct 28, 2012). Some excerpts:

[Quote]

“The fall from its perch was stunning, but it appears to have been an aberration - IIM-A has roared back to the top in the 2012 survey…….The institute scored well on brand value……Where it fell short was on the living experience, return on investment and, in what should be a big cause for worry, the learning experience.”

"B-school education of the kind exemplified by IIM-A is rooted in the assumptions of an earlier era," says Santosh Desai, MD and CEO, Future Brands, and an IIM-A alumnus. "The traditional MBA programme was created for a time when managers were the most vital part of large, stable businesses operating in limited geographies." Desai, considered a branding and marketing expert, says that the focus today has shifted from management to creation, where volatility is the norm and culture is a key determinant of success or failure.

"The operations research based approach followed by IIM-A needs to give way to a more complete one that incorporates areas like behavioural economics, anthropology and design thinking." The lack of dynamism, Desai believes, will hinder the institute from fostering entrepreneurs and leaders capable of creating businesses around ideas rather than around historical infrastructural advantages, as has been the case with traditional businesses.

Future Brands's Desai believes IIM-A needs a complete overhaul to prepare students for the real world. "The institute taught me nothing about marketing. If anything, it impeded a deep understanding of the subject by making it a sterile exercise in rudimentary logic," he says. "It did not open my mind enough to new modes of thinking, and while it spoke of 'thinking outside the box', it spent all its energies in building the box instead."

[Unquote]

These are indeed some constructive criticisms coming from an alumnus of IIM-A. Apparently he understands the importance of design thinking for developing managers and its distinct absence from a premier B-School of the country.

While much has been mentioned earlier in this blog about the need for “Design Thinking transforming Indian Higher Education”, it is important to highlight India Inc’s design deficit. It is, therefore, not surprising to see the premature reactions of some other alumni of IIM-A in today’s ET report titled “CEOs protest against govt proposal for greater control over IIMs”. Some excerpts:

[Quote]

A battery of powerful CEOs, many of whose careers were birthed at IIM-Ahmedabad, are rallying in protest against a government proposal seeking greater control over the 13 IIMs in the country.

"Any move to control IIM-A, now run autonomously, will bring down the standard of the institution as well as dilute a global brand," said AM Naik, executive chairman of engineering giant Larsen & Toubro

"It ain't broke. Don't fix it," said Phaneesh Murthy, chief executive officer of iGate who graduated from the institute in 1987. "It is amazing how with so many problems in education the government wants to divert its efforts to the one thing that is already working well."

"I do not believe that issuing a degree is any great incentive for an IIM to lose its autonomy," said Manvinder Singh Banga…. He is an IIM-A gold medallist (1977).”

“While newer IIMs are happy to trade autonomy for the greater credibility that a degree brings, older institutes, led vociferously by IIM-A, didn't fancy the deal, ET had reported.”

[Unquote]

While the move toward any form of unhealthy control must be rejected, it is important to look beyond the “It ain’t broke. Don’t fix it” mentality to a continuous improvement philosophy.  Thus, instead of reacting to IIM-A losing its autonomy, these CEOs of corporate India should be aiming to create viable collaborative networks to promote greater shared outcomes for the stakeholders of the Indian Education System. This brings me to one blog post by Nigel Scott titled “The Social Network vs. the Collaborative Network” [30 Mar 2012]. In the first cartoon clip the biggest ant wins and all ants want to be like the biggest ant. A more healthy model is presented in the second clip. See the excerpts following the cartoon clips.

Hence, instead of IIM-A trying harder and harder to be the lead ant “always”, it will do the country good if it learns to share the harvest with other ants. Corporate India needs to provide the necessary guidance in doing so. As rightly observed by one alumnus of IIM-A, it is time they did some serious “out-of-box” thinking for shouldering the inclusive growth challenges of India.

That means students at all levels of the pyramid need to be trained with the help of newer methods. Instead of blindly following their respective lead ants (i.e., the role models in their league) they need to be taught to explore for food (i.e., knowledge in the new economy).

Related posts: See under the label “design thinking”

Design and Behavior in Organizations

  This refers to the article by Ravi Menon titled “Design has a telling effect on behavior” (TNIE dated 5 Dec 2012). Here are two excerpts:

“Just as some objects become symbols of their powerful owners, the influence of the design of an office or furniture on behaviour is equally interesting. A counter in a bank, post office or railway booking office 20 years ago is a case in point. The customer had to bend over and peer through an opening in order to talk to the official. The design of the counters seemed calculated to ensure that the customer assumed the role of a supplicant……………….Today of course, it’s a vastly different story.”

“In schools decades ago, the teacher sat on a platform that was about a foot above the ground. The relative position of the teacher and the student was clear — one was superior to the other.”

The article rightly observes cases of designs influencing behavior – i.e., mostly cases relating to the pre-reforms era when the Indian economy was protected. More importantly, therefore, it is the organizational structure which influences the designs. Obviously enough it reflects a time where hierarchical organizations were supposed to be dominant by design – i.e., with little citizen-centric (read customer-centric) focus [Note the usage of word “supplicant”].

Though now it is a different story, the organizational mindsets have not changed significantly. The SUV example is again quite appropriate, as it reminds us of who actually controls the organizational hierarchy in these changing times. Read two more excerpts:

“Where you sit, relative to your fellow men, changes your behaviour. Another example is the driver of the SUV. SUVs are driven and are occupied by people who are no different from those who use sedans and smaller cars; but note the difference in the behaviour of the driver of the SUV. From his exalted position he looks down on the other occupants of the road. His vehicle is bigger, more powerful and, they must, logically, be given preference.”

“No matter how hard we try, our behaviour is influenced by our surroundings. The official in the post office, the school teacher, the judge, are all different people when you meet them at home. So is the driver of the SUV. He is the most considerate person when he welcomes you home. Put him behind the wheel of the SUV and he becomes a different individual.”

Finally, the author rightly says “Design at the workplace can really affect behaviour — for better or for worse.” However, it is more important to reflect on the organizational mindsets and methods adopted in designing the workplaces. Organizations need to be designed through collective-creative-thinking for meeting various purposeful outcomes. This design process requires healthy facilitation right from designing the plan (read strategy) to its implementation. Organizations governed by true design thinking can create more humane workplaces and can affect behavior for the better – not for worse.

Related link:

What is Organization Design? by Roy H. Autry

Designing Supply Chains for India

“FDI in Retail” has generated a huge controversy in India.

While retail deals with the direct interface with customers, it is the adoption of healthy integrated supply chain practices that brings gains to all the collaborative partners. B-Schools often showcase examples similar to P&G and Walmart while discussing win-win outcomes for both the partners. The challenge, however, lies in taking these practices beyond organized retail.  It is important to see that these concepts are imbibed by the myriad small players who have various roles in bringing the produce to the consumer by partnering effectively in the supply chain of their choice. The government has a key role in bringing good e-governance mechanisms to help India develop viable domestic supply chains. Some suggestions are presented in this document titled “A Productive Supply Chain for the Sericulture Industry of Orissa” (2008).

Though Indian academics have been trying to bring these concepts to the industry, somewhere there is a misunderstanding with regard to the scope of the subject on Supply Chain Management (SCM). As is often the case, courses such as TQM and SCM are restricted within functional silos. This detracts the students from designing and participating in effective supply chains. Good programs will ensure team-teaching of these concepts to help the upcoming Indian manager in meeting the challenges faced in our domestic sector.

According to one easy-to-understand view often cited in literature, a supply chain is a network of entities that starts with the suppliers’ suppliers and ends with the customers’ customers for production and delivery of goods and services. Further, here is an excerpt from a text book on SCM by Handfield and Nichols (1999).

(Quote) Three major developments in global markets and technologies which have brought SCM to the forefront:

1.       The information revolution

2.       Customer demands in areas of product and service cost, quality, delivery, technology, and cycle time brought about by increased global competition

3.       The emergence of new forms of inter-organizational relationships

[Source: “Introduction to Supply Chain Management” by Robert B. Handfield and Ernest L. Nichols, Jr; Prentice Hall, 1999] (Unquote)

This emphasizes the focus on organizational integration and flow coordination. The flow of material, information and finance are interdependent in nature. It is, therefore, expected that organizations break inter departmental boundaries and look for opportunities in collaborating beyond organizational boundaries.  The Indian B-Schools need to take a lead role in first overcoming such limitations. Industry will follow with its own best practices.

Update (6 Dec 12): Instead of India being divided on the issue of FDI, it is important to learn the best practices for the benefit of stakeholders. Hence, it is important to develop consensus on such matters while ensuring development of viable supply chains that are not exploitative. States (such as Odisha), in the meantime, should be developing their own domestic and healthy supply chains before they face the competition.

Other recent reports (Thrust to Outsourcing in Hind Aeronautics Recast, 27 Nov 2012, Tue, TNIE) indicate how state-owned HAL is planning to become a larger systems integrator by establishing tiered supply chain for its requirements [as a part of the Chaturvedi panel recommendations]. This is a late though welcome step. Similar recommendations have been forwarded since more than a decade to most of the PSUs in Odisha for taking their Vendor Development Initiatives to higher levels. [Related links: Use Brainpower in Manufacturing; TQM for Small & Medium Enterprise]

Designing Makers

This refers to one news report I came across yesterday titled “IIT BBS in Expansion Mode” (TNIE, Sunday, 11-11-2012). The report says:

“The Indian Institute of Technology, Bhubaneswar (IIT-BBS) is planning to open a one of its kind new department, ‘School of Design and Creative Arts’ in the next few years. A process initiated by IIT-BBS Director Madhusudhan Chakravarthy, the new department aims at encompassing anything and everything related to the field of designing.”

Later in the day I chanced upon one interesting book in a local book store at PAL Heights, Bhubaneswar. It is titled “Makers – The New Industrial Revolution” (by Chris Anderson). Late in the evening, again by chance, I came across the same book title in the recommended reading section of the Sunday Economic Times (Nov 11-17, 2012). An excerpt:

“Marx would sound like a strange four-letter word to be invoked when one talks about future — and cutting-edge at that. Yet, that's what Chris Anderson does in his brave effort to predict The New Industrial Revolution. If the first industrial revolution shifted production from your home to the factory, thus letting factory owners dictate the terms — Marx alert: "Power belongs to those who control the means of production" — the coming one will return it to your computer screens.”

The above events that went through me were “intelligently designed” (definition beyond the scope of this post), as though, prompting me to post this blog titled “Designing Makers”.

While the book is futuristic and talks of design technology supporting makers (of all kinds), my focus here is on designing makers (who are undergoing formal education). By that I mean designing the process for developing the makers who are undergoing formal technical education.

Note the word design being used as a verb in the above news report on IIT-BBS. This projects the importance of having design methods governed by design thinking in our higher technical education system. As rightly stated, “it aims at encompassing anything and everything related to designing”. It is, therefore, more important now to adopt this very method in first designing the appropriate agenda for this upcoming school.

In line with the governing philosophy of design thinking, it would be appropriate for the new school to first have a cross functional team (with other important stakeholders) involving arts, humanities, sciences and engineering in shaping the design curriculum and then subsequently implementing the same with as much commitment. In doing so, it would be a good learning experience if the existing batches of students (irrespective of their discipline) are exposed to design theory and methodology at the earliest possible point in time.

Most of the older IITs will have the difficulty in creating this cross-disciplinary culture. Here is one excerpt from an article titled “A New School of Design with implications for the National Science Foundation” by Richard N. Taylor and Michael P. Clark (University of California, Irvine; Written sometime after fall 2000 when UCI embarked on a process of creating a new School of Design).

“…. Creating an interdisciplinary vision requires, however, the constituent older disciplines to abandon claim to exclusive and constricted control over the term “design” – a painful and incomplete process on our own campus.”

{Though the School of Design could not be established at UCI, the 188 page proposal dated November 2002 is made available in Professor Richard Taylor’s homepage as a vision document for the design research community. Visit: http://www.ics.uci.edu/~taylor/ }

The new IITs need not undergo such painful transformations as there is enormous scope to adopt clean slate curriculum designs appropriate for India’s developmental and inclusive growth challenges. They need to just think differently and act expediently by putting design up front in the concept design stages to meet the downstream challenges.

A mineral rich state like Odisha can find it rewarding if IIT BBS takes examples from the history of Harvey Mudd College – A School established in the name of Harvey S. Mudd – An accomplished mining engineer who wanted to overcome many of the shortcomings of traditional, narrow technical training of his day {About HMC}. Click this link to know more about the Center for Design Education directed by Professor Clive L. Dym – who actively promotes design thinking in engineering education.

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