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Quality improvement is a highly desired
objective for the fiercely competitive
international business world. In recent times, Indian firms have been subjected to
the demand that the quality of products and
services need to be improved to match the level of
their superior counterparts in foreign countries.
Post liberalization, has led to the setting up of a
number of industries which has brought about a competitive business war in India.
Quality management practices are the key source to competitive advantage.
As we enter into third millennium, organizational environment is characterized
by technology, globalization, competition, change, speed and paradox. World-class
organizations build readiness to the new era, by creating a
new dimension of organizational culture like knowledge and information-sharing,
innovation and creativity, teamwork, project
orientation, diversity and strong core values.
The shift of manager's role in 21st century provides the context of the quality challenges
faced by B-Schools. There are several challenges
which require change in the character and structure
of management education, integration of management education with the corporate sector,
upgradation of curriculum and course content, designing
of different programs for executives, maintenance
of an efficient and effective regulatory system to check mushrooming of B-Schools, and
emphasis on research. Nearly one lakh management graduates pass out every year in India, providing
a tremendous potential to contribute to the
creation of a `knowledge society'. With the
international economy evolving toward a global
network organized around the value of knowledge,
the capacity of people and organizations to use technological
advancements effectively and efficiently has emerged as a critical social concern.
There is also a need that our dependence on foreign literature and techniques should
be minimized and management teaching and thinking should be based on practical experiences
deriving strength from Indian ethos. It demands a
strategic shift towards quality management practices.
Now, the management education institutions need to transform their structures, mission, processes
and programs to be both flexible and more
responsive to changing social needs. Quality
practices involves changing the way people interact
and work in an institution and its success mainly depends on the organizational dimensions
as strategy, structure, system, shared values,
staff, skill and style of an institution known as McKinsey's 7-S Framework. The basic idea of
the model is that there are seven internal aspects of
an organization. The seven elements are
categorized as either "hard" or "soft" elements. In
hard elements, strategy, structure and systems are included. In soft elements, shared values,
skills, style, and staff are included. |
