Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Hyderabad
`Competition shouldn't hurt anybody'
THINKING GLOBAL Adi Godrej and Bala V. Balachandran at the Club Lounge, Taj Coromandel. PHOTO: R. RAGU
From the usual two hours to 20 minutes flat, this Take Two was special. Because like Dr. Bala V. Balachandran's one-year Management programme, this one too was business-like. No frills, no tangent thought processes and no pauses. But it packed a punch, what with the distinguished professor of J. L. Kellogg School of Management and founder of the Chennai-based Great Lakes Institute of Management(GLIM) and Adi Godrej, Chairman of the Godrej Group, conversing with amazing depth and spontaneity.
T. Krithika Reddy transcribes the tête-à-tête...
Bala: Adi, what is it that struck you about GLIM?
Adi: Bala, the passion of the people who set up the institution is tremendous. The students exude the same passion as well. Second, it's the camaraderie between the faculty and the students. When there's such a bond, things always work well. What were the challenges you faced in setting up this institution?
Bala: My experiences in establishing the Management Development Institute, Gurgaon, and the Indian School of Business, Hyderabad, helped. I hail from Chennai. I had to give back something. Chennai did not figure on the management schools map. My idea was to provide world class education that is affordable. GLIM is a not-for-profit organisation. When money becomes a priority, questions about ethics, integrity and compromises arise. Okay tell me Adi, we have produced good engineers and we have such good products, but we can't sell ourselves like they do in the West. So should we focus on marketing and sales? Do you think it's appropriate?
Adi: No, I think a business school must be more general. It shouldn't look like a school for marketing and sales.
Bala: It's generic. But now, everybody is talking in terms of customer-centricity.
Adi: Quite right. If India has a weak area in terms of management, it's marketing. We are strong in financial management, manufacturing management, etc. But marketing is the bane of the economy. We need to sell ourselves hard.
Bala: It's no longer a captive market, it's an open one, you see.
Adi: Do you see the opening of more such institutions in the country?
Bala: I'm positive. But only the best will survive. Godrej was one of the pioneers here in hair colour. Now, we have a whole lot of foreign brands. What are the challenges you've faced?
Adi: Our share of the market remains the same despite the entry of L'Oreal, Wella, etc. We provide value for money. Most Indians can't afford high-priced European or American brands. We welcome competition, it helps us hone our skills and do better. We hope to maintain or increase our share of the market. Not give up an inch.
Bala: Like many foreign brands coming here, Godrej too is making forays into the world.
Adi: We like to expand globally. In fact, it's my opinion that in another three to five years, Indian foreign direct investments will exceed all foreign direct investments in India.
Bala: People respect the quality India offers. In the beginning when India opened up, there was so much pressure. But corporate India took the challenges head-on.
Adi: I think India should open up fully. Competition not only helps us perform better, it will also help Indian consumers get a better range of products. Competition should not hurt anybody. Only those who don't deserve to survive will falter. I'm all for opening up of the economy - totally.
Bala: Adi, like Godrej, there are a few corporate groups that are into philanthropy and supporting quality education in a big way. What are your philanthropic initiatives?
Adi: Education and health are the focus of other philanthropic groups. So right now, our primary concern is environment. Education is our second concern. We feel if Indian business can learn to ensure sustainable development that helps the environment, and not hurt it, we can facilitate faster growth. This is more satisfying. I see a great opportunity for us to have environment-positive development. I'm very much in favour of rapid development. But while we develop, if we pay attention to environmental concerns, we can grow faster. Because then, environmental pressure on development will not be there. And that's why we have the CII-Godrej Green Business Centre in Hyderabad - to educate the Indian industry on environment-friendly development. We also support the World Wildlife Foundation in New Delhi. Besides, right in the heart of Mumbai, in our industrial estate, we have a 300-acre mangrove where we nurture wildlife, flora and fauna. Children visit the place to learn about the preservation of wildlife and the environment. If you instil such concerns in the minds of the young, it will be sustained.
Bala: Yes, a sense of what's right and what's wrong must be taught at an impressionable age itself. Adi, you still get training for 30 days a year?
Adi: Yes, learning is a continuous process. It doesn't stop after the university. I continue to attend workshops, lectures, etc. conducted by eminent people for at least 30 days in a year.
Bala: And you believe in reverse mentoring?
Adi: Yes, learning should be both ways. While we guide youngsters, we should also pick up something from them. I've learnt a lot with regard to sales, marketing and IT from youngsters in the company.
Bala: And you still organise the Chairman's Tea?
Adi: Yes. I invite about a dozen managers, young and old, from the company and discuss ideas that could help improve our performance. I never report this outside. I use the ideas without saying from where I got them. It's more or less like anonymous feedback. I also get anonymous feedback about my performance once a year. I get myself rated and find out what the employees think about me. When I first did that, I found out that they felt I wasn't a good listener and that I wasn't helping in building teams. So, I was able to change.
Bala: Another important thing is to reward talent. It's not enough if we recruit good talent, it's important to reward talent as well. When we groom someone for five years and somebody else comes and poaches, it becomes difficult, isn't it?
Adi: So true. Okay Bala, were there apprehensions about the one-year post-graduate programme in Management when you introduced it?
Bala: Oh yes, many said it wouldn't work. I felt the MBA course was being stretched unnecessarily. It's a waste of time. I call it `opportunity cost.' The one-year format is packed. Life will be miserable for that one year. It's `money value of time.' But it has worked. Those who ridiculed it are now appreciating it. Students must be given a variety to pick and choose. We now have an executive MBA programme with a unique agenda. Call me a benevolent dictator if you want. But it's nice for me to control everything at GLIM. I get the best of faculty. I'm planning to bring three Nobel Laureates for a workshop in December. There's no compromising on our goals to offer world class education. I want youngsters to achieve something and make money in a honest way. They should be self-motivated. I don't believe in bonuses. Incentives are fine as long as they are a support system, not a driving system. There's a lot to learn from the West. But there's a lot we ignore because it's homegrown. Like the gurukul system. My students call me Bala uncle. When a student passes out of college, he becomes an alumnus. But as a nephew, the bond continues. There's a family relationship in a business school!
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Hyderabad
|
