Learn to strategise, MBA students told

Management students should learn to strategise and innovate and after completion of the MBA degree they should be able to offer solutions to the complex and varied problems faced by a company , according to Mr Madhav Bellamkonda, Chief Operating Officer of the Varun Group.

He was delivering a guest lecture at the Vijnan College of Management in Duvvada here recently at a programme organised by the Business Line Club. Mr B. Satya Rao, the head of the department, presided over the meeting. Dr. K. Alice Mary, Principal, participated. Mr Madhav exhorted students “not to become mere drifters in life and to set clear goals for themselves. The achievers in life are not the brilliant ones, but those who have focus in the pursuit of set goals.” He told students that as individuals tended to drift, organisations and companies also tended to do the same. “They lack a clear strategy and fail to adapt to changed conditions and fall by the wayside. Strategic drift is perilous,” he said.

He said in fast-changing times “most of the companies rely on incremental change or fire-fighting operations in the first phase, and then they get caught up in strategic drift and flux in the next phase and in the final they either make the requisite transformational change or perish.” The role of MBA graduates was to formulate a strategy and steer the companies and organisations out of the woods. In that process, understanding the organisational culture was the most crucial thing.

Job changes

Mr Madhav also advised the students to stick to a job for at least three years in the beginning of the career and then strive for a higher pay packet. “Once you get into a particular line, forget the size of the pay packet for the first three years and learn the tricks of the trade. Don't be in a tearing hurry.”

Later, he answered the queries of the students.

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