Project: Rethink

In June 2011, we embarked on a project to redesign the ITM PGDM program. We started by asking the following questions:

• What is India Inc.’s expectation from management graduates?
• What’s missing in the knowledge, aptitude, skills and attitude of new Managers?
• What do we need to teach and how do we teach it?
• How can we measure the learning outcomes of the PGDM program?
• How can we identify the right profile of student and teach/train him towards the right outcome?
• How do we identify the weak areas in a student’s profile and focus on improving them?

At the outset, we forced ourselves into a “Blank Slate” approach of development - We agreed to challenge everything about the ITM PGDM, from curriculum to pedagogy, training and placement. Once we wiped the slate clean, a project team headed by Dr. P.V. Ramana, the chairperson of ITM began to conduct extensive ‘open-ended’ discussions with over 100 CEOs and business heads across India.

We wanted access to their ideas and criticisms in an unfiltered, unprompted manner to enable frank & free flow of thoughts.

The learnings we gleaned from these hundreds of interactions have been carefully analysed and consolidated into four core focus areas. Building up from these focus areas, we have redeveloped the ITM PGDM into a program that we call “iConnect”

The ITM PGDM iConnect program has been redesigned to:

• Deliver updated, streamlined industry relevant curriculum.
  
• Develop the student’s analytical, quantitative, communication and interpersonal
  skills as a core component of the learning experience.
  
• Help you identify your program specialization, at the very beginning of the
  program, and deliver targeted learning towards developing your capabilities in
  the chosen area of specialization.
  
• Develop a package of values and attitudes towards professionalism, social
  consciousness, organizational responsibility, humility and humanity.
  
• Provide an enriching and immersive industry experience, with continuous faculty
  support, employer feedback and academic rigor.
  
• Prepare students for professional life during the entire program duration, through
  interventions in interpersonal, professional, language and leadership skills.