An MBA education at WeSchool has helped me become an ‘integrated manager,' with an all-round view of the global economy, and a comprehensive knowledge of the rural sector and how national policies affect it, as well as and domain expertise. It has boosted my confidence - a must to succeed in the corporate world.
The course curriculum at WeSchool is focused on Leadership, Environment, Finance, Marketing, Operations, HR and Research, with a stream dedicated to the rural sector. It also includes design thinking and innovation-based subjects that helped us develop a human-centered and holistic approach to issues, rather than a "customer" or "market" approach. As students of Rural Management, we also learnt that ‘one-shoe-doesn’t-fit-all,’ especially given the diversity of rural India's customer base.
The “Elevator Pitch," which was a part of the Global Citizen leader programme at WeSchool, a unique leadership development programme conducted in collaboration with the Centre for Creative Leadership, US, helped me in my presentations and everyday communication with colleagues at different locations. Globalisation's real power is understood only when one sees how effective communication creates an impact. Hence, it is important to learn and understand industry-relevant business vocabulary.
Internships
Extensive experiential earning is the key focus of all PGDM programmes at WeSchool. For students of Rural Management, there is an internship of 5-months and 10 days, planned in three phases. The first is a 10-day, "Exploring the grassroots" phase wherein the students stay in the villages to understand the context from various viewpoints. The second phase is in the intervening months of May-June between the first and the second year, where companies that focus on the rural sector offer 2-month internships to the students. In the third phase, the entire 6th trimester is dedicated to the student working on a rural-based project, that could be sponsored by a company, the government or an NGO.
AuRuM - our annual Roundtable in partnership with industry, is organised with a view to promote learning from corporate executives who have immense experience, in-depth knowledge and understanding of India's rural sector.
Other B-schools too should provide such opportunities for students to work with corporates so they can identify the pain points and the behaviour-patterns of their customers (external and internal). This holds the key to the success of any organisation, and helps it make a positive and sustainable impact.