In Industry 4.0, Management graduates not only need to position themselves as leaders, but also be equipped with technical and domain expertise. To start with, one must be fully cognisant of technology and its role in one’s future job. For those in Marketing, a knowledge of digital marketing concepts is a minimum requirement. Similarly, a sales professional must be able to work with consumer data. For almost every job available today, technology will play an important role tomorrow. In certain multidisciplinary job roles, technical knowledge in more than one domain may be necessary. Beyond being tech-savvy, those in finance or equity research, for instance, will need proficiency and knowledge of data sources to stay ahead.
Multiple skill sets
Managers must also ready to deal with uncertainty. Recent events have shown that the most common characteristic of the future is the lack of predictability. In the absence of relevant work experience, graduates can demonstrate adaptability by referencing similar challenges faced — for instance, how they dealt with the conducting an event online instead of in the more familiar offline mode. They should also be able to maintain their calm in stressful circumstances.
The ability to coordinate with different people, often in a global, culturally diverse setting, is another important characteristic. To be able to build relationships is a critical quality. Interpersonal skills and the ability to handle conflicting views among team members are equally essential. Leaders should be able to anticipate and deal with risks. This can help turn a disadvantage into a competitive advantage for a brand or organisation. Students should prepare with relevant case studies.
Also, a manager’s job is highly data dependent. Thus, Management graduates must be able to make a strong argument based on numbers and facts, and their interpretation. They can establish their data or analytical credentials through their grades or specific projects. Positioning oneself as a strong analytical person helps open up multiple job possibilities.
Understanding or discovering trends as they take shape has become increasingly crucial to an organisation’s performance. To inculcate this skill, students must stay abreast of events across different sectors and not just business. and also know how these impact their sector. This means developing a historical perspective of their area. This can be done by reading books by leaders in the sphere.
Given the intense competition, Management graduates must develop skills like adaptability, innovative mindset, leadership qualities, and technical proficiency.
The writer is Director, NMIMS Bengaluru Campus
