Are top Business Schools in India assessing contemporary managerial competencies required by industry during MBA selection process?

Abstract

To understand the reasons for the often-reported competency gaps in MBA graduates, studies have probed the alignment of curriculum and learning goals with the competency required by industry but reached different conclusions. Studies have also reported that interpersonal and entrepreneurial competencies are not assessed effectively during MBA admissions. Even though prior studies have recommended a comprehensive evaluation of the MBA admission process to reduce competency gaps, to our knowledge, no study has probed if the MBA selection process effectively assesses each of the required contemporary managerial competencies. Based on a primary survey of Indian MBA admission decision-makers, this study identifies nine key competencies, and their relative importance, that the MBA admission process in India assesses. A key finding of this study is that industry experts and academics disagree on the importance of six of these nine competencies, thus confirming a lack of alignment. MBA admission decision-makers also do not use specific and quantitative criteria while assessing most of these key competencies. For instance, 90% of respondents said they did not use specific and quantitative criteria for evaluating execution & digital competencies. Business schools should align admissions to assess required contemporary competencies effectively. Faculty may offer pedagogical intervention to boost competencies not assessed effectively during admissions.