In my last note I wrote about Value Creation in non B-schools. I met with Dr Kavita Sharma, Director of the India International Center, and formerly Principal of the prestigious Hindu College of Delhi. I paraphrase our conversation and Kavita’s comments.
Kavita told me that before we start to look at how to create value for students, we must understand what value means to them. Value is very personal: it is a feeling of a sense of fulfilment. And some of it comes from a sense of ownership (of one’s life or job), a sense of involvement, of fulfilling a vision (if you have one).
For a student, it could be “am I employable?” and value creation could help him with “how can I become employable?”
And so campus interviewers have to ask what the student considers value and how will you create value? What are you passionate about? What keeps you or will keep you awake at night?
And for employees it is a sense of involvement that creates value for them. The employee’s sense of ownership adds value to the company What can I do to make my job better and get better results for the company, how do I take pride in doing things better? How do I take the extra step?
How does one marry the individual aspiration to the organisational aspiration? And to create Value?
As an example, a business owner’s child may wish to make films, but the father can only see the kid in his business. Both have to understand the key to adding value for each other.
So teachers and executives have to go through refresher courses, and understand the question of value creation. And they have then to suggest how students can use the learnings of the course to create value for themselves and their employer and society at large. And students should start to think about value creation as their role rather than just to be subject learners.
What do you think about “Value Creation” as a part of education system? Your comments are welcome.
