As an Academician who was also on The Corporate side, Dr. Michel Kalika, Dean, EM Strasbourg Business School, has seen The Best & Worst of both worlds. In This Exclusive interview, he discusses Contemporary Business Issues and Compares Indian Students to those overseas
In a career span of over 26 years, he has been a professor, a corporate professional, a researcher and now the Dean of EM Strasbourg Business School, University of Strasbourg, based in France. Dr. Michel Kalika resumed his new job in 2008 and under his supervision, the school has grown from 1400 to 2300 students and has become one of best B-schools in France and the second best in R&D. He has co-authored twenty books and approximately a hundred other publications. In an exclusive interview with B&E’s Bhuvnesh Talwar, Dr. Kalika talks about his affinity for Indian students and the international scenario on education and careers.
B&E: How should the academic mix be at B-schools? Specifically, how do you intermingle industry inputs and theory in your business school?
Michel Kalika (MK): In France, you have two great systems: you have the elite Grande Ecole programmes, and you have the traditional university system. While universities accept everybody, the Grande Ecole programmes – like the one at our business school – are competitive courses. In these, it’s not just about classroom teaching and creating book bugs. Industry interface comes only with enough practical teachings in the classroom. This is what happens at Strasbourg. Managerial practice and theoretical knowledge go together, because we have a strong support from the chamber of commerce. For instance, we have 170 companies who are supporting the B-school, and we have 104 faculties. Around 300 practitioners are coming and teaching during the courses. We are well known for the creation of case studies. Each week at the business school, we have one or two conferences on different topics. Practitioners are very often invited to speak at the B-school. They come and often offer the students jobs and internships. That is why our students find jobs very easily. Three to four months after the programme, 80% of the students are working. Around 40% of our students find jobs outside France.
B&E: In this era where B-schools teach their students to be founding entrepreneurs, what are the advantages and disadvantages of having the company’s founder as the CEO?
MK: The competencies of a founder are not the competencies of a CEO. When you are a founder, you focus on entrepreneurship. You are creative, imaginative, and want to grow the company. But, I feel very often, founders need the help of professional managers. It is very difficult for a founder to keep control on the company, when the company is growing more and more. So, I will say that the two functions are complementary; there’s a synergy between the two. What I say to my students is that if you start as a founder of a company, please be careful. You need to be able to understand when you will need the help of the manager. And I say to the professional managers that you must understand how the founder is thinking to be able to help him maintain the control on his company.
B&E: What is your thought on optimal timing for the exit of a founder CEO, and what factors should be counted?
MK: I don’t have a general answer. Sometimes a founder needs a strong help of the manager, after I would say 5-7 years. But, the founder can stay in the company. It would depend on the relationship between the manager and the founder. When you have served in the development of a company, you have steps. The steps are in the form of 5 year and 7 year plans. So, there is the first step after 5-7 years, and then another step after 11-12 years. It thus depends on the rate of growth of the company. If the company is only in domestic markets and another competitor is developing internationally, then you need a professional manager very soon. The founder is not always very good in understanding the culture of a different country. As the founder is focussed on his business, he may have difficulty in understanding another country’s business practices and culture.
In a career span of over 26 years, he has been a professor, a corporate professional, a researcher and now the Dean of EM Strasbourg Business School, University of Strasbourg, based in France. Dr. Michel Kalika resumed his new job in 2008 and under his supervision, the school has grown from 1400 to 2300 students and has become one of best B-schools in France and the second best in R&D. He has co-authored twenty books and approximately a hundred other publications. In an exclusive interview with B&E’s Bhuvnesh Talwar, Dr. Kalika talks about his affinity for Indian students and the international scenario on education and careers.
B&E: How should the academic mix be at B-schools? Specifically, how do you intermingle industry inputs and theory in your business school?
Michel Kalika (MK): In France, you have two great systems: you have the elite Grande Ecole programmes, and you have the traditional university system. While universities accept everybody, the Grande Ecole programmes – like the one at our business school – are competitive courses. In these, it’s not just about classroom teaching and creating book bugs. Industry interface comes only with enough practical teachings in the classroom. This is what happens at Strasbourg. Managerial practice and theoretical knowledge go together, because we have a strong support from the chamber of commerce. For instance, we have 170 companies who are supporting the B-school, and we have 104 faculties. Around 300 practitioners are coming and teaching during the courses. We are well known for the creation of case studies. Each week at the business school, we have one or two conferences on different topics. Practitioners are very often invited to speak at the B-school. They come and often offer the students jobs and internships. That is why our students find jobs very easily. Three to four months after the programme, 80% of the students are working. Around 40% of our students find jobs outside France.
B&E: In this era where B-schools teach their students to be founding entrepreneurs, what are the advantages and disadvantages of having the company’s founder as the CEO?
MK: The competencies of a founder are not the competencies of a CEO. When you are a founder, you focus on entrepreneurship. You are creative, imaginative, and want to grow the company. But, I feel very often, founders need the help of professional managers. It is very difficult for a founder to keep control on the company, when the company is growing more and more. So, I will say that the two functions are complementary; there’s a synergy between the two. What I say to my students is that if you start as a founder of a company, please be careful. You need to be able to understand when you will need the help of the manager. And I say to the professional managers that you must understand how the founder is thinking to be able to help him maintain the control on his company.
B&E: What is your thought on optimal timing for the exit of a founder CEO, and what factors should be counted?
MK: I don’t have a general answer. Sometimes a founder needs a strong help of the manager, after I would say 5-7 years. But, the founder can stay in the company. It would depend on the relationship between the manager and the founder. When you have served in the development of a company, you have steps. The steps are in the form of 5 year and 7 year plans. So, there is the first step after 5-7 years, and then another step after 11-12 years. It thus depends on the rate of growth of the company. If the company is only in domestic markets and another competitor is developing internationally, then you need a professional manager very soon. The founder is not always very good in understanding the culture of a different country. As the founder is focussed on his business, he may have difficulty in understanding another country’s business practices and culture.
Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri
and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).
For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri
and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).
For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles
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Ranked 1st in International Exposure (ahead of all the IIMs)
Ranked 6th Overall
Zee Business Best B-School Survey 2012
Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri’s Session at IMA Indore
IIPM IN FINANCIAL TIMES, UK. FEATURE OF THE WEEK
IIPM strong hold on Placement : 10000 Students Placed in last 5 year
IIPM’s Management Consulting Arm-Planman Consulting
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri – A Man For The Society….
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
IIPM makes business education truly global
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman
IIPM B-School Facebook Page
IIPM Global Exposure
IIPM Best B School India
IIPM B-School Detail
IIPM Links
IIPM : The B-School with a Human Face
IIPM – FLP (Flexi Learning Program)
