Author: Deepa Nayak P
AI makes an MBA more important, not less, but only for graduates who can do what AI cannot
Ma’am, the final semester results are out... I have completed my MBA. That means I am ready for the corporate world... Aren’t I?” A student asked me this question recently, and it made me think. I smiled and responded, “You definitely have a degree to your credit. But are you prepared for the challenges of the corporate world?” Perhaps this is a question every management student and educator needs to reflect upon. I often feel that the real test of management education begins after the examinations are over.
For decades, an MBA has been considered a passport to professional success. A postgraduate degree, a specialisation and a promising placement were often seen as the ultimate goals. I have started to wonder whether these measures are enough, especially when we see that industry strategies and trends change faster than we can revise a syllabus.
Companies today focus on communication, critical thinking, adaptability, digital skills and problem-solving abilities. Are we preparing students for these changing expectations, or are we still training them in the same way as we did decades ago? The corporate world is no longer looking only for people who know management concepts. It wants individuals who can apply them, question assumptions, solve problems and take responsibility for decisions. Knowing the definition of leadership is different from leading a team through uncertainty.
An important question that is often asked is: “Will artificial intelligence make an MBA less relevant or more important?” When AI can analyse data, prepare reports, generate marketing strategies and automate routine decisions, what will distinguish one management graduate from another? My students already use AI tools for assignments. The real question is whether they will use them to think better or to think less.
I believe that AI makes an MBA more important, not less, but only for graduates who can do what AI cannot. Future managers must understand AI, data analytics and digital transformation, but they must also develop something that technology cannot independently guarantee: sound judgement, empathy, ethical reasoning and human understanding. The graduates who are appreciated by recruiters are rarely the ones with the most answers. They are the ones who ask questions that the rest of the room has not even thought about.
This is where management education needs to move beyond textbooks. Industry projects, internships, simulations, business games, entrepreneurial assignments and interactions with corporate professionals must become meaningful components of learning. Students should have opportunities to experience business situations, make mistakes, rethink their decisions and discover solutions. After all, where else can a student learn the value of teamwork better than by actually working with a team whose members disagree?
If I had to pick three qualities, I would choose adaptability, sound judgement and the ability to work with people who see things differently. Equally important is the willingness to unlearn. Many of the tools I taught with five years ago are already outdated. A future-ready manager must remain curious, receptive and willing to learn throughout their life. At college, interview preparation is only one part of the work. We also encourage students to take on live projects, handle disagreements within teams and learn from their mistakes before making those mistakes in a job becomes expensive.
Years from now, no one will ask my students which grades they earned. They will ask what they built, fixed or changed. That, to me, is what being future-ready looks like.
The writer is an Assistant Professor, SDM College of Business Management, Post Graduate Centre for Management Studies and Research, Mangalore; Views presented are personal.