MBAs and the art of job-hopping

There is no doubt that B-schools teach you a great deal, both in terms of the tools, techniques and theory of management and the limited practical experience you pick up while at campus.
But what a management education essentially does is provide a solid grounding that needs to be leveraged and enhanced by the learning provided in the workplace.

In that sense, there is no "magic" in a B-school education alone. There are, however, several things that work experience teaches you.

A significant workplace learning is the need for professional stability. A B-school label certainly increases your marketability, so the temptation to switch jobs frequently for a better designation, a more prominent brand name or a larger pay-cheque is high.

But it's not a good idea from the point of view of professional growth. Of course, this is not to say that you should not change jobs. But to develop as a well-rounded professional, it is important to prove yourself over a period of time within a company.

A team at Genpact did an survey of the top 100 successful private sector companies. You will be surprised to know that the average tenure of the CEOs within their organisations was at least 15 years. This is also true of GE/Genpact, where the average experience of senior leadership team members is 10 years.

Partly connected with the point above is the vital need to develop expertise. With growing competition in business, an in-depth knowledge of a subject helps to manage ambiguity and solve complex problems.

For instance, you can't become a first-rate HR professional if you don't know the laws governing industrial relations, compensation benefits and so on.

Another aspect that you can't really learn at B-school is the need to develop a positive disposition. This may sound simplistic and idealistic, but the importance of a constructive outlook cannot be over-emphasised. It is easy these days to find people with drive, passion and ambition.

COURTESY: www.rediff.com