India’s Best B-schools: Techno leadership gets a leg-up at IIM Ahmedabad

THE LOUIS KAHN PLAZA is the most iconic part of the country’s premier business school, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA). Named after the architect (Louis Kahn) who designed the eye-catching brick façade of the country’s first business school way back in 1961, LKP as it is popularly called, has been witness to myriad convocations that have produced thousands of corporate luminaries over decades. Cut to 2025, the old-world charm of the IIMA campus is intact, as is the excitement of the current batch of students to get the coveted Post Graduate Programme in Management (PGPM) degree in the ramparts of LKP. As they pose for a picture with director Bharat Bhasker on the steps of LKP, a student fondly calls him ‘pookie’ (a Gen-Z terminology that signifies endearment and cuteness). An outburst of laughter follows. When asked how different the new generation of soon-to-be managers is, Bhasker has a term for them — ‘Techno Managers’ — people who not only strategise, but also have the skills to navigate uncertainties and most importantly, are equipped with new-age technology skills such as artificial intelligence (AI) and big data analytics. “Earlier, when I said I would take a certain decision, it was based on my learned experience, which was not data-driven at all. Then came the era of data-driven decision making, where I still had to make decisions, but the data of the past supported me. Today, AI will not only give me data points which will be useful information, it will give me a wide variety of scenarios with the outcomes... A part of the human thinking is driven by AI,” explains Bhasker. Does he mean MBAs are losing relevance? Not at all, he says. In an environment riddled with uncertainties, the need to have smart, critical thinkers is more important than ever before. “When the world was moving towards globalisation and a free-trade economy, one leader came and put a brake on it. This is one scenario today. An entirely new one could come later. AI will not be able to tackle it as it has not seen those scenarios, it doesn’t have knowledge or data on how to manage in that environment. That’s where human leadership comes in. The MBA curriculum has to be technology appreciative because technology is integrated into decision-making and judgement,” says Bhasker. In 2026, the flagship two-year PGP course of IIMA will be overhauled. It will have elements of new-age technologies roped into core subjects. “We are transitioning into training techno-savvy management graduates,” says Bhasker. The institute offers an AI-ready curriculum only for elective subjects taught in the second year. “We have courses on how AI will be used for financial markets, on digital transformation, on how you can make an organisation AI-ready. We are also offering courses on AI in HR management.” So, how would AI or big data be incorporated in the core MBA programme? “There is a course called managerial computing, where we prepare students with IS (information systems) and IT-related tools. Those tools needn’t be taught any more, students can learn on their own. We need to incorporate Open AI or other AI tools into the curriculum,” explains Bhasker. “Similarly, in finance, they still need to learn fundamentals of accounts, but beyond that, they need to be taught how they can use AI tools for investment decisions.” Apart from nurturing smart, tech-savvy managers, Bhasker’s vision is to ensure IIMA gets equated with the world’s best B-schools such as Harvard Business School and Stanford. “We can’t do it sitting over here,” he says. He believes the IIMA campus in Dubai is the first step towards being known in the global marketplace. “Our target there is Africa and Middle East, but the objective is that the Global South should look at IIM Ahmedabad. We want to evolve not just as a globally well-known institute, but as a truly aspired school,” says Bhasker.

India’s Best B-schools: Techno leadership gets a leg-up at IIM Ahmedabad

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