Lack of Practice of Implementation in Management Education

Management education is at cross roads and it needs to take care of number of emerging challenges. One challenge we want to focus in this article is on the need for focus on implementation !
Over the years , I have overheard conversations in business schools and business school conferences. Some of the common ones goes like as given below:

• I have a great strategy idea !
• I have so many ideas but donot know how to implement !
• My research paper brings in a new idea !
• I gave a great idea to my research student !
• I am good at strategic plans !
• I am a person of ideas !
• I got a good idea from my friend !
• I am waiting for inspiration to get new ideas !
• I have to come up with a new idea !

And so on..

There is a focus on ideas or strategy making or strategic planning but not much on implementation of ideas and strategies.

This goes along well with the general romanticing the concept of Idea!

But ideas without implementation is of little use , particularly for practitioners. There needs to be a reality check. The moment of truth is the implementation of the idea and see if it works and if it adds any value.

There needs to be a course correction. Instead of romantising the concept of idea, time has come to focus on implementation.

This can be done broadly at five levels. First, the faculty needs to start practicing what they teach i.e. they need to balance the focus on ideas to focus on implementation. Second, to have a full course on implantation of ideas. Third, make it part of every course in the management program. Fourth, encourage students to take projects on implementation of ideas. Fifth, start a student club focused on implementation and it creats regular activities such as contests on implementation.

This is high time business schools start doing it.

Lets stop romanticsing ideas at the cost of lack of implementation ! Stop it now in the interest of the students, faculty, industry, and business schools itself.

(This article is written by Dr Rajesh K Pillania, Professor, Management Development Institute, Gurgaon. This is an opinionated article; EPN has nothing to do with this editorial.)