14-07-2012, 12:39 PM
Managerial Skills Learnt from Classroom Can Never Match Those Learnt from Experience
For
• Within the confines of a class room, a student can gain knowledge by either reading through book(s)/reference material(s) and/or solve case studies. This is only bookish knowledge that cannot be regarded as experience. Also such theory is only retained for a short duration. It is transient by nature. It doesn’t create an imprint on his mind and thus doesn’t help him wade through the future endeavours.
• Textbooks/reference materials/case studies provide a narrow scope for learning. They do not include all the real-life situations that organizations in today’s world face. Merely a few months curriculum cannot match the rigours faced in the real world!
• Case Studies only arm the student with theoretical angles to solving the situation(s) under the scanner but when such a situation actually arises in the corporate scenario; it tests the student’s presence of mind, his managerial traits and magnitude of effectiveness.
• A student learns to refrain from mixing his emotions while taking tough business decisions while on-the-job. This human aspect that is imbibed only through experience can never be taught in a class room.
Against
• Reference material(s)/case studies provide generic aspects of handling business situations which enable a management student to implement the possible steps listed out in them. 75% of the business situations can be handled through a refined knowledge/base of theory.
• Management Institutes use a host of techniques to empower their students to get a feel of business situations. Such techniques include – Ice Breakers, Leadership/Skill/Communication/Team-Buil… games, Strategic Planners, Role Reversal, Doubling, Tag Teams, Mirroring, Monodrama, Shifting Physical Positions, Structured Role Playing, Built-in-tension, Shadowing, Outward-bound training, Lateral Thinking, Morphological Analysis, Gordon Technique, Attribute Listening and Cross-Cultural Training.
Conclusion
Although on-the-job training prepares an individual to handle real-life situations much better than what he could by just solving case studies, theoretical know-how grooms an individual to be more articulate in his approach and adds to his all-round personality. It gives him an academic certification which is much valued in today’s corporate scenario.
Class room learning Vs experiential learning
When one talks about management skills, we are dealing with hard skills and soft skills - hard skills of finance, operation marketing, human resource as well as the soft skills of leadership, team building, communication and so on. It is pivotal for any student aiming for the stars to go through the rigorous and laborious process of mastering these skills.
The platform for such learning is in a classroom. Classrooms provides an aspiring management student the opportunity to not just learn but also experience the world of management. While many of of my fellow speakers have pointed out that the experience is the best teacher, I too agree with them. However, the appropriate channelizing of that knowledge is appropriate as well as effective only in a classroom.
To bridge the classroom and industrial divide, many universities and institutions are adopting numerous programs that enable the student to embrace and get the feel of the real world. Plethora of avenues are available for a management student to apply what he/she has learnt in class in practical situations. Further, a student gets the added benefit being tutored and mentored by qualified professors who posses an ocean of wisdom. Therefore, I would like to conclude that there is nothing taking away the titanic benefits that classroom learning has to offer for a student.
Managerial skills learnt from classroom can never match those learnt from experience.
Favour
• In class rooms a student only can read books and read case studies which are not the experience of him so it not imprints in his mind and forget it soon.
• It is a fact that text books can cover only few situations where as real life is combination of many other difficult situations
• Reading books is just giving students glimpse how they should react in particular situation but when that particular situation comes in real life it depends on his personality that how he reacts.
• In real life a situation and its memory is combination of reaction, result and feelings like sad, happiness ,winning loss which become part of human mind forever which not happens in classroom
Against
• Books cover all the basic situation to describe all the complex situations so basically a manager face one of the situation almost all the time
• Institutes providing the same experience to students by using techniques of drama and role play in classroom which is a great way of learning real life problems in real time scenarios
Conclusion
• Real time experience is always more important then the classroom studies.
• In classroom studies one can learn more using modern techniques of learning.